I was 15, coming up on 16. My younger sister was barely 14. We watched in class and she didn't (she was in middle school).
I was in NJROTC. We watched the second building hit in that class. Our class leader told us that this was not an accident and it may not happen tomorrow but we would be going to war at some point. He told us this was the time to decide if we actually wanted to enlist or not.
I decided I wasn't cut out for it. It seemed logical before the attacks because I was in a military family but the reality of going into war, even though at the time that would have been limited as a woman, really hit me. Most of my classmates enlisted when they were old enough. I never got judged for not. Not everyone is cut out for the military.
My sister didn't have a sense of how serious it was. After a day she was frustrated that nothing else was on the TV. I don't judge her for that, we were kids.
But it still strikes me how we were only a year and as half apart but we saw it so differently.
Its understandable....i was 1st grade i didnt understand was wondering why no cartoons were on. Why i couldnt leave the house. I knew something bad happened but i didnt get what or why it affected so much.
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u/catswithbatsandhats 14h ago
I was 15, coming up on 16. My younger sister was barely 14. We watched in class and she didn't (she was in middle school).
I was in NJROTC. We watched the second building hit in that class. Our class leader told us that this was not an accident and it may not happen tomorrow but we would be going to war at some point. He told us this was the time to decide if we actually wanted to enlist or not.
I decided I wasn't cut out for it. It seemed logical before the attacks because I was in a military family but the reality of going into war, even though at the time that would have been limited as a woman, really hit me. Most of my classmates enlisted when they were old enough. I never got judged for not. Not everyone is cut out for the military.
My sister didn't have a sense of how serious it was. After a day she was frustrated that nothing else was on the TV. I don't judge her for that, we were kids.
But it still strikes me how we were only a year and as half apart but we saw it so differently.