Holleigh and Mark Belvardi were in different time zones, countries, and in two completely different situations when the first plane crashed into the North Tower on the once beautiful September day.
Holleigh, a five-year-old from southeast Kansas, did her usual routine of riding the bus home at noon after being at school for the morning.
Earlier that morning, six-year-old Mark was mid-flight, traveling from New York to his home in Budapest, Hungary with his parents on Sept. 11. Flying was not unusual for him and his parents, and he thought this was like any other day.
Neither of them remembers the events that occurred from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mark did not hear the news of the plane crash until later in the afternoon. Neither of them quite knew the extreme nature of the situation and would not know that bad thing had ensued on that day until they were older.
Even though both Holleigh and Mark were so young at the time of this devastating terrorist attack, they recall understanding that this day was much more unusual than all of the other days.
Holleigh specifically remembers “walking in the front room and seeing the footage of the twin towers on fire.” She felt guilty for wanting to see the towers crash to the streets again and again, but Holleigh did not yet know the impact this attack would have on the United States.
While Holleigh sat in the living room, her mother made a phone call to her father. This phone call was not normal, Holleigh recalled. Her mother seemed distraught when she talked over the phone, and soon Holleigh realized that, because her mother acted strangely, something serious was occurring.
Similar to Holleigh, Mark knew, as soon as he stepped into his grandparents’ house, that something was not right. He noticed that his grandparents were not in their usual chipper moods, and then he soon saw the footage of the towers buckling underneath themselves.
Holleigh and Mark’s memory of the day is comparable to the air in New York when the towers fell down: hazy.
However, there are specific moments that have stayed with them both for the last twenty years. As Holleigh got older, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, felt surreal. She started to understand that the people harmed were innocent and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Documentaries and stories of victims clung to her memory, and she learned to empathize with victims and their families.
Mark, a non-U.S. citizen, gained a different perspective as he traveled to the U.S. more often. As a young child, he felt detached from this day, but now as a U.S. citizen, Mark has a different attitude toward the situation.
Clearly, Sept. 11 left a lasting memory on people all over the world. Children were no exception, and Holleigh and Mark proved this. The impact was great and is still changing lives even after twenty years.
Photo courtesy of Holleigh and Mark Belvardi