COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the memories of that day remain vivid for the children who watched history unfold from their classrooms.
For many Americans who were young children at the time, 9/11 became one of the first major events they can remember — a moment when the world around them suddenly changed.
Among them is Columbus-area native Tyler Senior, who was in third grade when his class watched the attacks unfold on television.
Now 33, Senior of Phenix City recently returned to Mt. Olive Intermediate in Russell County, the school he attended as a young child.
Walking through the familiar hallways brought back memories of a much simpler time.
"This is my kindergarten and first grade hallway," Senior said. "I remember my first day of kindergarten, my mom and stepdad taking me to the room and turning me around because my mom wasn't ready to let me go yet."
Twenty-five years later, the school still looks and feels familiar to Senior.
As he walked through the school, he pointed to the spot where his classroom television once sat.
"As soon as you walk up on this corner, right here was the TV," Senior said. "My teacher Mrs. Edwards said, 'I'm not sure if I'm supposed to show y'all this, but I want you to see this. It's history.'"
That television became a window into one of the darkest days in American history.
Senior was among millions of children who watched their teachers, parents and other adults try to make sense of what was happening. Thousands of lives were lost.
The Sept. 11 attacks killed 2,977 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The victims came from 90 nations according to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The Memorial & Museum says 2,753 people were killed in New York, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 aboard Flight 93.
The attacks were carried out by 19 hijackers who took control of four commercial airplanes. Two planes struck the World Trade Center towers; one struck the Pentagon and Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers.
For children like Senior, the images and emotions of that day became part of their childhood. Now, as adults, they are reflecting on what it meant to grow up in the aftermath.
"It's so much we've lived through," Senior said. "I don't think we'll fully grasp it until maybe another two decades at that."
A generation that was shaped by service.
For some who were children on 9/11, the events of that day also helped shape their understanding of patriotism and service.
Columbus native Staff Sgt. Morae Wiggins will mark 14 years in the U.S. Army this December. Wiggins says she can see why the sacrifices made after 9/11 helped influence many to serve.
"It's very sad. I thank them for their sacrifices," Wiggins said. "That's why I wear the uniform, to continue to push forward."
Wiggins deployed to Afghanistan in 2019. She now works as a recruiter bringing in the next set of service members.
"I deployed to Afghanistan in 2019, and it's a sacrifice we have to make once we raise our right hand."
Remembering for a generation that comes after.
The 25th anniversary of 9/11 comes at a time when an increasing number of Americans have no personal memory of the attacks.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum estimates that nearly 100 million Americans — about one-third of the U.S. population — are too young to remember Sept. 11, 2001.
That makes the memories of people who were children on 9/11 increasingly important.
The stories of those who remember the day firsthand are connecting with a younger generation that knows it primarily through history books, photographs, videos and the stories.
Memories are now passed down by their parents, teachers and influencers.
For Senior, walking through his elementary school was more than a trip down memory lane.
It was a reminder of how much has changed — and how much of that day remains with the people who lived through it.
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