Aurora students get Sept. 11 lesson from retired Air Force officer
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. James Miller never thought his life could be changed so drastically by a meeting that never happened.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Miller woke up in his Washington, D.C., hotel room and prepared his notes for a 9 a.m. session he was to have with then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon.
But 9 a.m. came and went without any sign of Rumsfeld. While Miller and his associates were waiting, the terrorist attacks had begun.
Miller shared his experience with his son Riley's Still Middle School eighth-grade class Wednesday in Aurora.
“About 10 minutes after nine, a gentleman came in and told us Rumsfeld would be late because an airplane had flown into the World Trade Center,” Miller said. “Our initial thoughts were that this was some small airplane. We had no idea what was unfolding that morning because we had no information.”
A short time later, the Pentagon was evacuated and it wasn't until Miller was outside that he saw the black smoke and realized the building also had been targeted.
Miller said a bit of luck, in addition to the structural integrity of the Pentagon, were the only reason he was alive to tell the story of the meeting that never happened.
The portion of the building that was struck was mostly empty due to renovations and Miller's meeting was scheduled in an interior ring.
It wasn't until 2 p.m., after hitchhiking a ride to his hotel, that he was able to turn on CNN and realize the full scale of what actually happened that morning.
Miller said he was happy to talk with students about the significance of those events.
“You may not remember that day but it is affecting your life every single day,” Miller told the students. “As you go through your life there are going to be a few events that are as memorable and stand out in your life. Hopefully they will all be things that you remember fondly.”
Miller said he believes middle school is an appropriate age to talk with children about the attacks.
“I think it's good for them to start hearing about this. Eighth grade is not too young because this is when you formulate your thoughts for the future,” Miller said. “They're old enough to understand the meaning of what took place.”
Social studies teacher Jonathan Pardys, who teaches Miller's son, agrees.
“They don't know this moment. When they look back it's 10 years ago. It's ancient history, so I'm trying to reinforce in them that this is only 10 years ago,” Pardys said. “When we study the Revolutionary War it seems ancient because the world is different. Today the world looks exactly like it did 10 years ago so I've been trying to make that connection that it's not that long ago.”
Indian Prairie Unit District 204 high schools also will commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the attacks with separate events this week.
Neuqua Valley staff and students will gather outside the school at 8 and 9 a.m. Friday to pay tribute to the heroes Sept. 11. Metea Valley has invited the community to attend a sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. Sunday in the courtyard of the school at 1801 N. Eola Road in Aurora.