Generations reflect on attacks
By Sarah Szczepanski
Assistant
Features Editor
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and
Washington, D.C., made history seem relevant for the first time for
many college-aged students, said Jenny Kyrilis.
"It made other generations' stories seem more realistic,"
said Kyrilis, a freshman in the School of Liberal Arts.
Walt Griffin, a Vietnam Veteran and Lafayette resident,
said he's glad that students are beginning to understand the sacrifices
of people in previous generations.
"Your generation has had a better life than anyone,
better education, better economy," he said. "Also, your generation was
not exposed to what the real world was about. The attacks really punched
a lot of people in the stomach. People said, 'Wow, we do have problems;
other countries are going to hate us.'"
But Griffin, a teacher at Attica Elementary School,
still thinks the upcoming generation has the tools to handle whatever
is in store for them, especially if freedom is at stake.
"They can read history to see what's been happening,"
he said. "They have all the resources to make a stand."
Events in history such as Pearl Harbor take on
a new meaning for Griffin's nephew John Fassnacht, who was surprised
the terrorists were actually able to carry out the attacks.
"The scariest part was that no one saw it coming
— the fact that something this large was planned and actually carried
out," said Fassnact, a junior in the School of Computer Science.
He thinks the attacks could be considered a turning
point for his generation.
Michael Morrison, an associate professor of history,
said although the shaping of a generation is normally a combination
of events, most every person has one specific event that they consider
a turning point.
"For me it was 1963 when Kennedy was assassinated,"
said Morrison, a member of the Baby Boomer generation that faced the
Cold War, the Vietnam War, Watergate and the Bay of Pigs.
Michelle Canary, a sophomore in the School of Liberal
Arts, thinks the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
will change the way people think about others.
In a generation that has been a lot more open than
past generations, people will stereotype more and trust will never be
the same, Canary said.
But Janelle Draper, a freshman in the School of
Liberal Arts, thinks that the attacks have made people in her generation
turn their inward focus outward.
"We'll think more about other people," she said.
"Just look at all the stuff people have been doing on campus."
Christina Vargo, a junior in the School of Education,
said the prayer vigils and fundraisers seen from students are just a
start.
"We haven't had the chance to prove ourselves,"
she said. "This is our chance."
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