Remembering September 12th, 25 Years Later 

By: Chris Gonzalez

So there I was, a young graduate student at Towson University. I was pursuing a master’s degree to become a teacher and was about to teach my very first lesson. 

The course was World Religions, and I was well prepared to lead a class that included a short lecture and a series of thought-provoking questions. 

During the first 10 minutes of class, my mentor teacher was called out of the room. I didn’t think much of it. The students responded well to the lesson, and their participation was enthusiastic. As a reward for their engagement, I allowed them to talk among themselves during the final five minutes of class. 

Suddenly, my mentor teacher burst into the room with a terrible look on his face. 

“Oh no, what have I done?” I thought, assuming I had made a mistake. 

I hadn’t. 

The date was September 11, 2001, and the first plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. 

A day that began with such happiness and gratification quickly turned to confusion, worry, and a flood of other emotions. Both of my parents frequently traveled to Washington, D.C., for work, and my aunt and uncle worked on Wall Street in New York City. I didn’t know what to think, especially after the attacks that followed. Eventually, I heard from my parents and learned they were safe. 

At the time, I was also serving in the Marine Corps Reserve as a member of a light armored reconnaissance unit. My next Reserve weekend immediately followed 9/11. The atmosphere was filled with both patriotism and anger. Although we were given no specifics, our command’s message was clear: Get ready. 

Twenty-five years have passed since September 11, 2001. Some of my memories have begun to fade, but I still remember the feeling of chaos of that day. We were in Howard County, Maryland, less than an hour from the Pentagon, where many of the students’ parents worked. The students were frantic. Their parents were frantic. No one knew what might happen next. 

Although many people understandably focus on remembering September 11, some of my most meaningful memories are from September 12. 

I remember waking up and caring about my fellow Americans in a way I hadn’t before. I reached out to friends I hadn’t spoken with in some time. I felt deep empathy for those who had lost loved ones. I wanted to go out of my way to help people in need. 

Later that month, I attended a Baltimore Ravens football game. I vividly remember the powerful emotions I felt during the national anthem—the sorrow in the singer’s voice and, at the same time, the overwhelming sense of pride. I looked to my left and right and saw very few dry eyes in the stadium, including my own. 

There was a sense of unity and patriotism that I will never be able to fully explain or quantify. It was a feeling of standing with the person beside you. It was a feeling of being American. 

Today, I think about how we can honor the men and women who were killed in the attacks. I think about how we can honor the first responders who gave their lives trying to save others, as well as the service members who deployed in the years that followed. 

My answer is gratitude. 

I express my gratitude by going out of my way to help other Americans in need. I am proud to do that through my company, A-G Associates, and our work in mental health, substance use, suicide prevention, and other areas of public health that affect so many. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to support programs that impact people across racial, gender, political, and socioeconomic lines. I am grateful for the opportunity to bring people together and help them serve one another. 

Today, my call to action is simple: Reflect on the things for which you are grateful. Consider the opportunities you have to serve your fellow Americans. Think about how we can work together to make our country better. 

I hope each of us lives this day in a way that would make our fallen heroes proud. 

Thank you and God bless America.