Just barely started my senior year in high school during that day. Being from eastern Long Island, I saw classmates dropping to the ground in tears hearing their mom, dad, or other family member was killed. 600 people from my area were murdered that day...and being a senior in high school, a bunch of my friends then got involved in the Afghan War and the out-of-context Iraq war that followed. My fiancee's father was working a block away that day. He went outside to evacuate Manhattan and he'd hear what sounded like watermelons hitting the ground...thing is, it wasn't watermelons.

I lucked out and didn't lose any close family or friends from that day but I of course wanted to pay my respects to those who died since some were the parents of my fellow classmates. I joined in the "American flag on everything" movement that happened during the first few weeks after the attack. It was a sign of nationalism and solidarity. I'd wear an American flag bandanna; both in the Asian styled way and the american biker way when I'd go into school.

A few days after the attack, there was a school assembly at my HS, Newfield High School . We thought we were going to get a counselling session to help deal with the attacks, and the fact that we were directly affected by it...instead it was just a meeting to tell the students that dress codes are now to be enforced by force. Mind you, this is a public school and had no uniforms but then created retarded rules like no hats, hair bands and bandannas. So, me an honor's student wearing an american flag bandanna in honor of those died, while sitting at this assembly, almost got jumped by 3 security guards for wearing said bandanna.

That event not only help me throw away the concept of religion after seeing first hand the stupidity it brings...but I also gave up the concept of nationalism. Both are forces of weak minded people who can't think for themselves and whom would commit such horrible crimes if either mindless concept drove their lives.