As we all know Monday was the fifth anniversairy since the United States experienced one of the most horrific days in its history. Everyone remembers and will always remember where they were, who they were with and what they were doing, when they first heard the news of terrorists crashing airplanes into some of America's greatest landmarks.

For me, it was my sophomore year of high school and I had made my daily hour train ride to school. I attended Gonzaga College High School, an all male Jesuit high school in the heart of Washington D.C., located a few blocks south of the capitol and the pentagon.

While exchanging classes I overheard my professors talking about a plane that had crashed into the World Trade Center. No more than two or three minutes later, I was walking through the halls when I heard an uproar from students outside. I did not see or hear the plane hitting the Pentagon as some of my classmates claimed, but I ran to the nearest window and looked outside.

There, I saw over the north end-zone of our football field the Pentagon engulfed in flames and producing massive clouds of smoke. Our campus became chaos until they put us in lockdown much like the rest of the city. Within five minutes, the Secret Service showed up in four black SUV's to take two students. One was the nephew of President Bush and the other was George Tenet, the head of the CIA's son.

We were ordered to go to our class rooms and not leave until further informed by our Headmaster. Our professor took role and we watched the news on the TV. What I was watching on TV was the same building I was looking at to my left out the window. Then rumors began to swirl that there were car bombs going off in the city so I had to remain in my class room for around four hours. Meanwhile F-16's were all over the sky because they were still unsure where the fourth plane was headed.

After four grueling hours we were released on parental consent. Since there were no cars allowed into the city and the trains were all shutdown I walked to my friend's house in Georgetown. I will never forget as we sat on his porch starring over the Potomac River watching as one of the most secured buildings in the World, was covered in smoke and being attended to by hundreds of people.

'September 11 , We Will Never Forget'

Kevin Woo
Senior
Sports Management