Bin Laden is Dead: "Justice Has Been Done"

On the night of Sunday, May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama announced to the people of the United States and of the world that the most infamous terrorist of the modern era, Osama bin Laden, was dead.

The president’s announcement brought to an end a decade-long search for the man responsible for the greatest act of murder committed on American soil.

Like millions of Americans across the country, my eyes were glued to the television as President Obama made the announcement and for hours after as the different news agencies reflected on the death of bin Laden and remembered the horrible events that made his name known throughout the world.

For me, the events of September 11, 2001, would not only greatly impact and shape my childhood, but they would impact my entire life.

As soon as the news sunk in that bin Laden was indeed dead, I began to immediately remember the morning of September 11th; where I was, what I was doing, and how I was feeling. I was only 11 years old at the time and didn’t really grasp what “terrorism” or a “terrorist” was. I remember walking downstairs when my Dad mentioned that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. This was the first time I would hear about the World Trade Center, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Before the second plane hit, I headed off to school. By the time I reached Cass Jr. High, I arrived to a school abuzz with news of the second tower being hit. Down every hall and in every classroom, students and teachers alike were fixed to the televisions. As we watched the coverage, we also watched our lives and the world change…forever.

I can still remember walking down one of the halls in Cass and watching the television that was in the library. On the television, the two towers were engulfed in smoke and fire, and chaos was consuming New York City. The school day at Cass carried on, but classes were anything but normal. Everyone was clearly shaken up, confused, and uncertain as to just how much this single event would forever impact our lives.

The single most vivid moment that sticks out to me from that fateful day was receiving the letter from the principal of Cass, during last period Band class.

I remember sitting behind the drums and slowly reading and re-reading the words on that page. I walked home and immediately went to watch the television with my mom. I sat down and reflected on the events of the day and wondered to myself what kind of human being would senselessly murder thousands of innocent people.

At that moment and after my thoughts had been processed, I began to cry. I didn’t know exactly why I was crying, but I was overcome with emotion and a great sense of sadness. I knew from that day on, the words Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida, 9/11, World Trade Center, and terrorism would become part of my regular and basic vocabulary.

As I reflect on the events of that historic day and the realization that Osama bin Laden is actually, truly dead, I feel that the chapter that was opened by those events nearly 10 years ago, can finally be closed.

Upon hearing the news, I cried and silently reflected on the past 10 years since the attacks. I reflected on how accustomed I was to hearing the name bin Laden and the word terrorism. It made me realize that a small chapter that was opened on that day was closed, but many more chapters and questions were created.

How long should we stay in Afghanistan? Should we increase the focus on Pakistan? Now that the most-recognizable face of terror is dead, how will we know what our enemy looks like?

I think about all this questions and about the men and women fighting overseas, the thousands that have died since we began our global fight against terrorism.

But I also realize that the events of September 11th have shaped who I am. I am now 21 years old and a junior at Loyola University Chicago, where I am majoring in political science. I am also an Eagle Scout and a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honors society.

Part of me believes I chose this major and stuck with Boy Scouts, out of my sense of duty to this country, to a country that even after seeing its darkest days, can still stand together.

Or maybe it’s the fact that even though I am not fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq, I want to do my part and demonstrate to every enemy of the United States that although the horrific events of September 11th forever impacted who I am, they did so in a way that has made me and this great country stronger, more resilient, and more determined to ensure that the ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” will forever be the mark of freedom, democracy, and the United States of America.