Austin Coccia never will know a New York City skyline dominated by the World Trade Centers, or a world where he didn’t have to take off his shoes before boarding an airplane.
The 6-year-old first-grader barely comprehends the events of Sept. 11, 2001, a momentous event that occurred before his birth but is expected to govern his future.
“All I know is that a lot of people died,” Austin said.
Many of the younger students at St. Joan of Arc School in Aberdeen had similar responses, even though their parents and teachers broached the subject to them this year.
“They were curious if Sept. 11 was the reason we’re at war, but most of them are just starting to learn what it is about — we only talked about it briefly,” said second-grade teacher Laure Dottenweich.
But Thursday, more than 150 students of the parochial school in Harford received a brief lesson on Sept. 11, as well as the service of first responders and military service members during the half-mile Freedom Walk and ceremony in Aberdeen.
Austin’s mother, Annie Coccia, said her son had questions this week about Sept. 11, and had to treat the subject carefully.
“You want to answer their questions, but you don’t want to scare them into thinking that Mommy is going to be attacked one day riding down the street,” Coccia said.
Many parents said they described the events of that day in the same way Army Col. John Rooney did during Thursday’s event.
Rooney, commander of the nearby Aberdeen Testing Center, spoke to the children about Sept. 11, using simple dialogue usually not employed by military officials.
The terrorists were “bad guys who did bad things” to “innocent people like you and me,” Rooney told the children.
“Most of you probably don’t remember what happened that day, but for the rest of your life, you’ll know what this day is about,” Rooney said.
But even as Rooney recounted the effort of the passengers on Flight 93 to thwart the hijackers or about him missing a morning meeting at the Pentagon that day because of traffic gridlock, most of the younger children were more interested in plucking grass blades or in far-off distractions.
“They are kind of young still, but I don’t think it hurts to try to explain what happened that day,” said Nikki Fothergill, mother of a second-grader at St. Joan of Arc.
No signs or tokens invoked Sept. 11, aside from the flags at the park lowered to half-staff.
The children and adults were dressed in patriotic garb, with U.S. flags and red, white and blue balloons fluttered in the breeze.
In between speeches, the children sang patriotic songs such as “God Bless America” and “Grand Ol’ Flag.”
Several St. Joan of Arc students spoke about heroism, which parents, teachers and officials said should be the true lesson from Sept. 11.
“That’s what 9/11 is about — people who stood up when they were not required to, but were needed … and we should take the time to commemorate them,” Rooney said.
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GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
More than 45 Maryland residents were victims in the three Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
At the Pentagon, 41 Marylanders were among the 189 people who died.
One Marylander died among 40 total victims on Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa.
Of the 2,787 victims at the World Trade Center, four of them were from Maryland.
Sources: Flight 93 Memorial Project, The Associated Press
