CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Many can remember exactly where they were on Sept. 11, 2001. Some are tasked with teaching those who were too young to remember or not yet born about the deadliest terror attack in United States history.
"It still impacts most of the population today," said Morgan Gilbert, a social studies teacher at Midlothian High School, who sees herself as especially qualified to connect with her students on the topic — because she was born in 1999.
"I obviously don't have a clear memory of 9/11 on the day, I was too young to really remember anything," Gilbert said. "It's really in school that I really learned about it."
She said the lessons she learned in school helped her to understand the weight of the event and the trauma that it caused, and influence the way she teaches her own students about that day.
"In some ways, it makes it more relatable coming from me to teach it, because I also wasn't there," she said.
A Midlothian High School alum, John Riley, lost one of his best friends in the attack on the first tower in New York City. So, he has made it his life goal to honor the thousands of lives lost through the Freedom Flag, which was created in Virginia as a symbol of remembrance.
"It's always nice when you can give them something or show them something that's connected to that event," Gilbert said. "I think it makes it even more real."
The flag is also a reminder for Gilbert about the important role 9/11 plays in the country's history.
"That is part of our history, and I want them to know that," Gilbert said. "It's part of theirs, too."
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