It is a day that I remember so vividly, and will always be a day I will never forget. I remember walking into my parents’ bedroom and seeing the look of horror on my mother’s face. I asked her what was wrong and she could not speak, she could only point to the TV screen where I saw the World Trade Center up in flames and billowing with smoke. I asked her what the tiny black dots on the screen were and she whispered, “Those are people jumping.”

Like me, most of you can remember what you were doing that fateful day but I fear that some have forgotten how horrific it truly was. After Sept. 11, the feeling of being safe and secure evaporated; it was not replaced with fear but with the knowledge that evil had touched my country. That day shaped me into the person I am today. After Sept. 11, I vowed to never forget, I stopped being ignorant about the people around me and I started caring about what happened to my fellow citizens.

This year, with the debate and attention centering on the New York mosque, a lot of attention was taken away from the Sept. 11 attacks. This past anniversary as I walked around Biola, it was especially difficult because there was no sign of anyone commemorating those lost.

It was an American tragedy and it seemed that no one cared to remember that day. The only thing Biola had was a morning prayer for our enemies, which seemed hardly appropriate for remembering the dead. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to hear that Pepperdine University put 3,000 flags on their lawn to commemorate the day.

I am not saying that Biola needed to make a huge ordeal like those in New York would but a sign or flag commemorating and reminding students of those lost would have been respectful. Just because time passes and people move on does not mean that we should forget tragic events in our history. To forget history, usually causes a repeat. People become complacent and ignorant and that is not what this country needs.