Ohio woman recalls living miles from Twin Towers during 9/11 terrorist attacks

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — It has been 23 years since Americans watched in horror as the 9/11 terrorist attacks left nearly 3,000 people dead.

One Columbus woman was just miles from the Twin Towers that day.

Alissa Stechschulte grew up in New York City. She was in kindergarten the day of the attacks, but she still remembers the day well. She said that morning was very routine, with her grandmother dropping her off to school.

“It was a typical day,” Stechschulte said. “It was gorgeous, clear skies.”

Those skies quickly turned dark when the first tower in New York City was hit. She said she was playing kickball in gym class at the time.

“All of a sudden we hear this boom kind of reverberate, to the point where the entire class stopped,” Stechschulte said. “We kind of paused. We were like, ‘OK, this is weird.'”

Little did Stechschulte know the chaos that would ensue, and the tragic events that would follow. She said her principal then came over the loudspeaker dismissing them from school.

“I remember when we walked out of the front doors of the school, just everyone kind of speed walking,” Stechschulte said. “Some people were running. It was just very frantic.”

Stechschulte said her mother carried her the entire way home. Their place was just a block away from the United Nations. She said her grandmother collapsed in her chair, glued to the TV.

“I remember going upstairs and my grandmother was sitting on the rocking chair in the living room and she’s just looking at the TV and all you just see is just smoke,” Stechschulte said.

Stechschulte said at 28, she now has a greater appreciation for the response from that tragic day. She said as a nation, Americans truly came together.

“We all stood together at that time. We were the United States of America. We were all proud to be Americans,” Stechschulte said. “We were hurt in such a way that people in Kansas, in Utah, they felt that.”

Stechschulte said she hopes that even as time passes, the nation doesn’t forget the sacrifices made that day. She said this anniversary serves as a testament to the fact that Americans are resilient when we are united.

“They always say ‘9/11 never forget’ for a reason, and I really hope that as a country we really don’t ever forget it,” Stechschulte said.

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