As I flipped through the channels Monday, stopping on a news station was hard, but necessary. Five years to the day, I sat in front of my television and watched my city being attacked in a way that seemed impossible. Two planes crashing into the Twin Towers? The story seemed to be a sick joke, a terrible rumor. Watching people scramble for their lives, looking for loved ones, and having to claim bodies made me red with anger.

My hometown is a suburb of New York City, and after a half-hour car ride (with traffic) – I’m walking around mid-town Manhattan. I have visited Ground Zero a few times to pay my respects. I knew three people who perished in the towers, and that hurt me deeply. Yesterday, I realized just how important it is to look back and reflect. Just as we do every Dec. 7 for Pearl Harbor, we will pay our respects on September 11.

Even though it hurts, we must look back to show that we remember those who passed, and to show the terrorists that we never back down. September 11th, 2001, seems so far removed; it seems as though time skipped to this moment. To me, the fifth-year anniversary means that we still haven’t forgotten, nor will we ever.

– Greg Bouton is a sophomore business administration major.