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    At 8:40 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, the world stopped and watched in amazement as American Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

    Just 16 minutes later at 9:03 a.m., United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. Yet, the terrorist attacks continued and at 9:45 a.m. American Flight 77 plummeted into the Pentagon. By now, the airspace over New York had been closed. 

   Finally the last terrorist attempt came to an end as United Flight  93 crashed into a wooded area in Pennsylvania. America was brought to its knees.

   Citizens of New York and workers in the Pentagon. By now, the airspace over New York had been closed. 

   Finally, the last terrorist attempt came to an end as United Flight 93 crashed into a wooded area in Pennsylvania. America was brought to its knees.

   Citizens of New York and workers in the Pentagon ran for their lives as firefighters, police officers, and those brave enough to help flocked towards the damaged buildings.

   Closer to home, the students of Virginia Wesleyan College flocked to any available new outlet, clinging to the images of horror on the television screens. Others called family members, lovers and friends to see it they were safe or merely  to tell them they loved them.

   As a result, President George Bush, Jr. declared war against those responsible for attacking our nation on Oct. 7, 2001.

   Now, as the one-year remembrance of Sept. 11 passes us by one can't help but recall where they were and what they were doing when the hijackers crashed the planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in rural Pennsylvania.

  With the site of the Towers gone from the skyline and an empty spot lies in downtown Manhattan, one cannot help but recall the terror and effects of those actions.

According to a CNN news report by Debra Feray, 2,801 people died in the World Trade Center attacks alone. 2,749 World Trade Death Certificates have been issued to date, as experts are still working to identify remains. These do not include those who perished in the Pentagon or in Pennsylvania. Yet, how are we dealing with the impact of knowing that this country will never be the same a year later? Some students feel that it is time to move on with our lives. "I think the intensity of feeling has worn off of the American public," said junior Brenda Adams. "We are going back to our own causal ways."

 A building in the vicinity of the World Trade Centers displays patriotism. Many students echoed Adams' opinion, but felt that the media and Internet were the cause for their desire to get back to normal. "In my opinion, September 11 has been over-dramatized by the media," said sophomore Donna Noble. "I think it is time to move on." Sophomore Greg Jackson agrees, however, he feels "that the Internet has over-dramatized the event more than the media." Jackson says that information can be found all over the Internet about September 11 and sometimes, it's just too much.

Other students, however, are still strongly affected by the thought of September 11. "I feel very emotional even though I wasn't there because those people died for the wrong reasons," said senior Darsheen Smith. "Being in the media so much, it doesn't feel like it has been a year, it feels like it just happened." Still, others wonder will something like the events of September 11 happen again. "It makes me sad to think about," said freshman Jason Vann. "I still feel scared that something else is going to happen."

"It was really hard when it happened. It was a horrible, horrible, horrible event, but I was just kind of befuddled…to see such violence on the country," said Dr. Tom Fanney, director of mathematics and the VWC PORTfolio Program. However, Fanney, a practitioner of nonviolence, does find some positive from the acts of Sept. 11.

"It (Sept. 11) more or less reinforced my views. I support nonviolence, but it's easy for me to talk about nonviolence. Someone needs to say stop and not retaliate. It's time to turn the other cheek." So how do people feel September 11 should be remembered? "September 11 should be a day of remembrance," said junior Josh Masse. "It shouldn't be an ordinary day where people go to work and classes." However, some look upon the day as a learning experience.

"I try to use September 11 as a reminder to embrace joy," said Dr. Sally Shedd. "I feel like I owe to it everyone who died or suffered some sort of loss. Instead of a license to wallow in some sort of pity, I try to let it awaken me to happiness." So how are faculty and students trying to get back to normal? What are we doing as a society to carry on the memory of our fellow citizens? Dr. Rita Frank has tried to look for the positive in the event instead of the horror it produced. "I've really focused on the aftermath of the event instead of the horror of what actually happened. Every life that was lost really counted and everyone came together as a nation and lived our ideals for that time. So now I'm trying to keep those values alive in how I relate to students, what I teach, how I service the community, and how I treat my family."

Still, others are worried about the political implications of Sept. 11. "Right now, I'm worried about the political legacy of 9/11," said Communications Professor, Dr. Stuart Minnis. "I was generally in favor of the Afghanistan action, but now I'm very much against the Bush's Administration's unilateral movement towards Iraq, and I see the Administration using 9/11 as some sort of peripheral justification for that action." Despite the politics of Sept. 11, this tragic event showed many students and faculty that we can still come together, despite our differences, in a time of need. Just two days after the attacks, the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom hosted an Interfaith Prayers for Peace Service in response to Sept. 11. Ms. Kelly Jackson, an administrative assistant in the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom witnessed a profound connection at the interfaith service.

"At the service, a Muslim woman approached Dr. Cookson and me to tell us about a phone call she had received," said Jackson. "This woman, a deeply faithful leader in her faith community, had previously served on a panel for a Center program titled, ‘Voices of Women in Religion: Our Journeys to Leadership.' Also serving on that panel was a Pagan woman. After 9/11, when so many Muslims were fearful for their safety, the Pagan woman called the Muslim woman and offered her and her family sanctuary at the Pagan camping and meeting grounds in rural Isle of Wight County. In spite of their profound religious differences, these women connected through love. Since 9/11, I am so much more aware of the need to bring people of different faiths together so that we can all learn to love and respect each another, no matter how differently we may worship."

Despite the mixed emotion surrounding the anniversary of September 11, it will be an event that will stay on the minds of Americans for a lifetime. We banded together as a nation and a college one year ago when this tragedy occurred, and we will come together again to remember those who were lost and those who fought to rescue and restore our fallen to their loved ones.