“The World Trade Center and the Pentagon have been bombed.”

Those words remain ingrained in my mind, even eight years later.

The man who told me this was the principal of my middle school in Mamaroneck, New York. I was only in fifth grade at the time.

Instant confusion followed.

Now, it wasn’t the mad dash of screaming New Yorkers trying to escape the falling buildings, but it was confusion nonetheless.

Teachers and those students who were old enough to understand what had just happened were visibly shaken.

Fear engulfed the campus at Rye Neck Middle School/High School. The two schools, which shared the same building, had entered a state of panic.

My classmates had family members that worked in Manhattan, some even in the World Trade Center.

Our school district was close enough to New York that the military had planes and helicopters flying over our town en route to Ground Zero.

I remember President Bush giving his speech to the nation on television.

I remember the phrase, “We Shall Never Forget.”

Sadly, I think many people have forgotten what happened on September 11, 2001.

Over the ensuing years, we have forgotten those who died and lost sight of why we fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Acts of terror are now referred to as “Man made disasters” by the current administration. We spend our time protesting a war of which most Americans do not comprehend our foe.

We as a society have lowered the morale of or troops by calling this war un-winnable and comparing it to Vietnam. Unlike Vietnam, however, our men and women volunteered to fight in this war because they want to keep our country safe from future attacks.

I have not forgotten that day eight years ago. Have you?

Zachary Singer is a freshman at Missouri State. He invites your response to this article.