The Day After by Brooks Spears

               The year was 2001. And the day was the 12th. Of September, that is. Just one day after one of the most tragic and unexpected events in American history: 9/11.
                While this day may not have the notoriety or excitement of its predecessor, it is still an extremely important day. This day showed how America would react to an attack on its own soil, how Americans would come together against a new threat, and how the situation looked in a more distanced time.
                 The day after September 11 profoundly impacted my life, the lives of all Americans and the entire globe.This day, however, was not, as Ice Cube might say, a "good day." Following the tragedy that was 9/11, September 12th showed the unity of the American people and how we rally around a single cause. While it may have not been a good day, it was, indeed, an important one. It stood as the first day, the first day after the most traumatic and demoralizing event some people will have ever experienced.
                  If not for the outcome of this day, every day thereafter could have permeated the  American culture, the American identity, with the horror and sorrow of the eleventh.