Twenty-four years ago on Sept. 11, 2001, a terrorist attack killed nearly 3,000 people, reshaping the nation and leaving a legacy that continues to be remembered by generations of students born after.
On that morning, hijackers seized four commercial airplanes, crashing two into the World Trade Center towers in New York City and another into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., while passengers on the fourth flight fought back before it went down in a Pennsylvania field.
For many Southern Miss students, the events of 9/11 were learned through classroom teachings, family stories and media.
“In middle school, we watched videos of it and a documentary,” freshman Gage O’Quinn said. “And I remember crying so hard when it showed people jumping out of windows because there was no other option.”
Junior Theresa Tuttle also learned about the attack through videos at school. She said that while her perspective is mostly shaped by teachings, the event still brought her anxiety.
“People who lived through it, I would say, deal with like consequences a lot more, but I feel like learning that so young made me really paranoid,” she said.
Despite many students not living through the terrorist attack, it remains important for them to remember.
“My mom was actually in D.C., very close to the Pentagon, when it happened and both of my older siblings were there,” Tuttle said. “So she witnessed like, you know, the chaos and the aftermath of it, and a lot of my family’s also military and first responders.”
For many of today’s college students, 9/11 exists as history rather than a memory. But through education, family connections and reflection, the tragedy continues to resonate with them.
