A high school student who witnessed the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks from his school near the World Trade Center in New York wrote an essay on the second anniversary of the attacks. He felt guilty, he wrote, because he had rarely thought about the attacks since he was a senior preparing for the SAT. Yet experiencing the awful event, he said, he felt as if he had suddenly grown older. At the time, he describes himself as so naive that he thought the attack was a simple mistake or an accident. And he vowed to tell his grandchildren about the vivid reality of the attacks.
According to a survey last year by a university in Virginia, an especially large number of students who were expected to graduate in 2007 said they wanted to travel or do volunteer work for a year or two before starting their careers. These students showed much keener interest in international politics, security, and Arabic and Islamic culture compared to graduates in the past. They are also deeply interested in entering politics. Having experienced 9/11 in their teenage years, they have become interested in national security and international affairs. These are the kids of the 9/11 generation, who cite the attacks as the most important event of their lives.
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington held an exhibit to commemorate the first anniversary of 9/11. Among the items on display were a mobile phone that New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani carried when the World Trade Center collapsed, an old brief case that was found in the ruins and the clothes and shoes of some victims. The helmet of the fireman who arrived first at the scene and a torn Stars and Stripes were also exhibited. The museum, which began gathering materials immediately after the attacks, is collecting the stories of ordinary citizens who experienced the attacks in some way.
For the U.S., 9/11 was the most shocking event since Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. After the tragedy, Americans fought back their tears, chanted slogans of unity and renewed their patriotism. A nation that had not been sensitive to security issues during the past several decades transformed itself into a nation with a security-first policy. Every year on the anniversary of the attacks, Americans reaffirm their commitment against terrorism and remember the victims. However, on the sixth anniversary this year, a sort of unexpected "9/11 fatigue" has begun to emerge. A growing number of people think large-scale memorial events are too much or are pointless.
People often want to forget horrible events as soon as possible. Some people might say we shouldn't be attached to the past, that it's time to move on. But now Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks, has sent a new message hinting of another possible attack. It's as if he waited for the U.S. to forget the threat of terrorism. The war against terror is like a battle with cancer. Eradication is impossible; keeping our guard up is the best protection.
