Even after a year, all Americans can remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001 as clearly as if they happened yesterday.
Ironically, bright blue skies always seem to yield the most violent images and defining moments of the United States.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, John F. Kennedy's assassination and the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle are all crystal clear moments that will never be forgotten by the Americans who saw them unfold.
But this time, the clear blue day that gave birth to an event that can only be defined by its date, has not only been ingrained into the minds of an American generation, but the world's people.
And UNM students remember just as much as anyone.
The Daily Lobo spoke to students about their memories, perceptions and impressions of that day, the last year and the anniversary of Sept. 11.
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"I basically remember everything that happened that day," said Phil Guillory, a freshman undeclared major "I kind of didn't know what to believe."
One of the things that stood out most in Guillory's mind was media coverage of Sept. 11.
"If anything, it has made me watch the news less," he said.
Zach Saam, a junior geology major, was driving to class when he heard the news on the radio that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.
At first, he said he thought it must have been some type of terrible accident, but after the second plane crashed, Saam realized it was no accident.
"I first started to understand the magnitude of the situation," Saam said.
He added that the renewed sense of patriotism has brought Americans together and should be viewed as a positive product of Sept. 11.
"What really sticks out in my mind is how it brought Americans together," said Beth Sanderson, a freshman speech and hearing major.
The attacks seemed to draw people together from everywhere. In the immediate aftermath, religions, attitudes, conflicts, racial issues and misunderstandings all seemed unimportant and irrelevant.
"Families have gotten closer together," said Emilie Garner, a sophomore political science major.
But, Garner added, one of the worst things to come from the tragedy was the endless marketing of it and how some used the attacks to sell merchandise and make money from the pain and suffering of others.
To mark the anniversary, Garner said she will pray for the families of those killed and injured and for world leaders to make the best decisions.
"Someone has to pray for them," Garner said.
Prayer will almost certainly be a popular way of remembering the tragedy of a year ago, but others will commemorate it by going about their business as if it were any other day.
Charles Whitson, a junior Asian studies major, said although he will come to school and not participate in any special way, he will never forget the events of that day.
"I was home getting ready to go to school," he said. "I was pretty shocked, very shocked. It's not something you ever expect to hear about."
For Whitson, that shock has turned to disappointment in the way the government has handled the attacks, including president George W. Bush's declaration of a war on terrorism.
"I don't think it is very positive," Whitson said. "It seems to me like a war on terrorism would just provoke another incident like that to happen."
Other students were not only critical of the war on terrorism, but also society's reaction to the possibility of other attacks.
"Since last year, I think we are at a heightened state of paranoia," said Amanda Heath, a senior chemistry major, "I think now we live in more fear."
Adam Bill, a junior psychology major, said one of the components of Sept. 11 that most concerns him is the possible loss of civil liberties and the Justice Department's push to create programs designed to detect terrorists anywhere in the country.
"I don't agree with a lot of the changes that have occurred," Bill said. "If the government is paying closer attention to what people are doing, then the attention to civil liberties has changed."
Bill, who used to live in New York, said he does not plan to do anything special to mark the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Unlike Bill, Sarah McKinney, a senior political science and Spanish major and executive director of Student Special Events, said she will go to a candlelight vigil at the Duck Pond.
The vigil, organized by the Associated Students of UNM, is meant help students remember the victims of the attacks and heal after events of the last year.
"This last year can remind you of how fragile things are," McKinney said. "A year can pass and hopefully you can find healing in that."
McKinney was studying abroad in Spain on Sept. 11. She said the day was full of confusion and shock because of the language barrier.
"Words like 'hijacking' and 'terrorist' are not in my Spanish vocabulary," she said.
Even though she also remembers the events of that day all too clearly, she wants the anniversary to bring some type of ending to a chapter in history that probably will never be forgotten.
"I really hope tomorrow can be a thing of closure," McKinney said.
Even if people are actually able to forget the events of that historic day, we, as a world, will always have those blue skies and defining moments to remind us of how life was, and now is.
"I will never forget of how it was before Sept. 11," Heath said.
