Message posted by Peter Merlin (Member since 11/13/2003) on September 11, 2024 at 14:04:52 PST:
When I was in college, I didn't pay much attention to December 7 (Pearl Harbor Day). For my parents' generation, it brought visceral memories; in fact, my father joined the US Navy shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He spent the next four years fighting fascists in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of war, before returning to civilian life. Today, none of the students in my classes were born before September 11, 2001. The events of that day are ancient history for them, but still a vivid memory for me. My students will never share my perspective nor understand how the world changed that day. While we should not let 9-11 shape our lives, we must also never forget what was lost.
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