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20 years ago today was a peaceful, ordinary day. The next day our nation and our world changed forever.

September 11, 2001. Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our nation. Every year that goes by the more distant a memory those attacks become and that is normal. It's part of the healing process. But it's also a day that requires reflection and requires us to honor the lives of those that were lost and the lives that were forever changed. And while 20 years ago, when you write it out and really think about it, seems like a long time ago, it really isn't.

In 2001, I was a freshman at Texas Tech University and was on my way to one of my communications classes when the first tower was hit. By the time my next class was to begin, word began to spread of the attacks. We turned on the television and saw the images of the attacks but it was still early and none of us really knew what all was going on. Remember, these were the days before social media really took over and there was no iPhone. We had to rely on television news and Drudge to get answers. My professor at the time advised us to go home and watch the news as it would be "today's events will mean more than anything I can teach today." He was right and other professors of mine followed in telling everyone to just stay home. One of my professors even told the freshmen to call our parents as they would probably be worried.

When I got back to my dorm room, I turned the TV to one of the news channels. Possibly FOX or CNN, or maybe it was NBC or ABC. It was probably a mix of all of them just searching for answers. My roommate in the dorm at the time had woken up later than I and had no idea what was going on. He came into the room from grabbing breakfast and asked me what movie I was watching. He couldn't believe it when I told him what was actually going on.

All day, we sat and watched in disbelief and anger. We had propped open our door so we could yell across the hall at other people. You could tell we were all watching the same thing as the 6th floor of Murdough Hall would erupt into anger when we saw replays of the planes crashing into the towers. I remember talking to my parents that night. The emotion of the day. The anger, sadness, and patriotism we saw in the days after.

This evening on the show, as I have done every year, we will spend time looking back at 9/11/01 and remembering where we were, how we felt, and what the anniversary means to us now. We will take your calls, texts, and tweets about where you were on that day. In my opinion, it's good to remember. It's good to reflect and honor that day.

This week and on Saturday there will be many old and new documentaries to watch. Take some time to watch them as I will.

We said we would Never Forget. And we won't. God Bless the United States of America.

NEVER FORGET: Images from 9/11 and the days after

See 20 Ways America Has Changed Since 9/11

For those of us who lived through 9/11, the day’s events will forever be emblazoned on our consciousnesses, a terrible tragedy we can’t, and won’t, forget. Now, two decades on, Stacker reflects back on the events of 9/11 and many of the ways the world has changed since then. Using information from news reports, government sources, and research centers, this is a list of 20 aspects of American life that were forever altered by the events of that day. From language to air travel to our handling of immigration and foreign policy, read on to see just how much life in the United States was affected by 9/11.

LOOK: 100 years of American military history

 

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