MHS Remembers 9/11

By Myka Murphy

Distress, horror, rage, patriotism, and honor. These words often are thought of when 9/11 is brought to mind. However, Alpha’s flight commander, Christian Baumgarter, had another thought to this. “Just like Colonel Landing says, this is our modern generations Pearl Harbor. This is the day that our country stood still. This is the day that stuck a sense of honor into every American’s heart. Before 9/11, every citizen felt they were American, but many also felt they were part of another country. Until that fated day, that is. Thirteen years ago, we realized where our hearts belong. We learned that the word honor does not just mean being a hero, honor defines people who can make a difference. Honor belongs to those who can stand up and protect the defenseless without thinking of the consequences, or even the glory they may receive in return.” Many of our students had a lot to say about how they felt about 9/11. Aslynn Smith, a first year ROTC cadet stated, “9/11 is the day America was changed. We learned how to deal with terrorist attacks and learned what horrors others are truly capable of doing. We were made strong by this and it helped us conquer all the struggles we were going through as an unified as one nation. That day, we learned how to pick our wars. That day, we lost a little bit of our innocence. But we still honor these people. We keep with the tradition and we stay true and committed to our belief that what happened was wrong no matter how many years pass, I believe we will continue to celebrate 9/11.”. While many ROTC cadets spoke out, 9/11 is an important day to all of our students and staff. “This was a seminal moment because it changed our perspective and the way we do things. It changed our interpretation of our rights and removed the sense that we could not be attacked. All of the people that died that day were filled with honor. They had high character and integrity and truthfulness. They died for their country.” Mr. Hinkle, a civics teacher here at Mascoutah, proclaims proudly. While everyone who knows about what happened that day, either because they teach about it or because they are taught about it, they are ready to speak up, and they aren’t the only ones. Noah Feldott (freshman) shares his opinion, “When I think of 9/11 I think of the twin towers, the loss of lives, and disappointment in the human race. I believe people shouldn’t kill others, especially for no reason. Yet, in the end, this tragic event made us stronger and more connected. It showed us the honor is having courage and doing what is right. It made us angry, yes, but it also made us proud.” We continue to commemorate 9/11 because we did change us as a country, and we will always honor the memory of the lives that were sacrificed but we continue to learn and transform from it using it as a tool to continually grow stronger as a country. Thank you to the ROTC for the beautiful ceremony and all that helped it come together.