The Longest Running Game of Hide and Seek is Over

One of the clearest memories of my childhood was the morning of September 11th, 2001. I was a second grader at Reuben Gittelman Hebrew Day school, just 7 at the time. And yet, I can close my eyes and feel as if I am sitting in my classroom at this moment. My seat was in the middle of the class, and the room was right near the parking lot. In fact, it was the closest room to the entrance. It started out like a normal day. There was music playing. We were answering questions during a Hebrew lesson and then something happened. 

My teacher’s cell phone rang and she took the call in front of us. Rumors began immediately and we began talking amongst ourselves, wondering, questioning, and scared. Lots of teachers were in the hallway, and things became somewhat frantic. We couldn’t hear what was going on, but we knew something happened. Our teacher told us she took the call because it was her husband, but we still knew things were getting unusual. Within the hour, we were dismissed from school. Parent cars were lined up as far as the eye could see. Horns were honking, parents were running in and out of the school, but it was more like controlled chaos as I look back on it. I remember walking out the front door and all I could see was an endless sea of minivans.

Once we were in my mom’s car, we asked her what was going on and she told us exactly what happened. The radio was on and all of a sudden an air force jet flew over us and my sister and I screamed. It was the loudest sound I had ever heard. I suddenly had a fear of a bomb being dropped on my home. I ran into the kitchen and was glued to television replaying the crash of the planes and the collapse of the buildings over and over again until I could not watch any more. The fear I felt was justified by my proximity to the catastrophe, and yet, I couldn’t begin to imagine the terror within New York City.

On 9/11 our country faced its most terrible terrorist attack to date, causing nearly 3,000 deaths. Despite our rapid and sudden rise in patriotism, our nation was forever wounded, and could never return to what we once were. War on terrorits was declared, and we stood behind our soldiers as they left the home front to defend our lives. Our main goal was to fight terrorism and the terrorists wherever they were. And of course, in those days following September 11th we were focused on capturing and killing Osama bin Laden and destroying Al Qaeda.

For 10 years, we were in Iraq, trying to find weapons of mass destruction, while at the same time Bin Laden was still terrorizing us and in hiding.  Since 2009, President Obama shifted the war effort to Afghanistan and the Taliban. Some said, that was a bad idea, and yet as it turns out, his strategy worked. Finding Bin Laden turned out to be a little harder than shouting Marco to the deserts of the Middle East, and waiting for Polo.

But on Sunday, May 1, 2011 everything changed. Our search was over. My mom called me into her room and said we have to watch this. I was in the middle of writing an essay for school and it was late. She told me that President Obama was going to make an announcement at 10:30 p.m.  I didn’t mind not doing the essay, especially since it really felt like I was watching something huge.

And there in the 9 minute speech, we all knew. The President told the world we found Bin Laden in Pakistan and that he was dead.  Before the President spoke, however, all of us, my friends, my sister’s friends, everyone across the country received news flashes, status updates and tweets. It was insanely fun. 

A new facebook status related to bin Laden was being posted literally almost every second of the hour that Obama kept the nation waiting, and even after that. Such status included “The best game of hide and seek has just ended, too bad Osama,” “BIN LADEN’S DEAD,” “USA USA.”

It was an amazing evening, historic, and brought us all together once again.

I am proud of our country for the way we chose to show who we are and our respect for religious ritual as we buried Bin Laden. I am also glad the President chose not to show the photo of his assassination. We know that that the killing of Osama Bin Laden does not end the war on terrorism. The United States made good on a promise and commitment to all of the families of those murdered and made him pay for what he did. Though it is too early to tell whether or not this was a tactical success, due to the possibility of retaliation or even lengthening this great war, as the President said, “Justice was done."

I wish I was growing up in a world where I wouldn’t have to take my shoes off at the airport. It would be a different world and story if 9/11 never happened. And yet, at least this part of the story has a beginning, middle, and good ending.

Plus, around 3 a.m., my essay turned out pretty well.

Rebecca Porath is a student at Clarkstown North High School in New City.