Mission43’s 9/11 Timeline Narrations provide Miles of Remembrance participants an opportunity to learn about, remember, and honor the sacrifices of September 11th, 2001. Inspired by the interactive timeline compiled by the 9/11 Memorial Foundation, Mission43 created these narrations in hopes that they spur emotions and thoughtful discussion about 9/11 and the subsequent Global War on Terror among a variety of age demographics. Each file is intended for different audiences so we ask that you please use your discretion.
Mission43 9/11 Youth Audio Guide (Suggested for children Kindergarten - 5th Grade)
Talking to children about complicated subjects like 9/11, terrorism, and war is challenging. This version is narrated by a child and utilizes language most easily understood by children. This version does not contain any graphic audio files or content.
+ Youth 9/11 Audio Guide Transcript
September 11th is an important day for our country, and people often refer to it as “nine-eleven.” Even though September 11th happens every year, when people refer to “nine-eleven” they are usually talking about the events of September 11th, 2001. That day, a group of 19 terrorists took over four airplanes and crashed them on purpose. Terrorists are people who deliberately try to scare and hurt innocent people because they have different political, ideological, or religious beliefs. When terrorists scare of hurt people, that is called “terrorism.” Terrorism shows us the “bad” in people, and it can be scary, but when terrorism happens, there are always stories of wonderful, compassionate, and heroic people who help others.
On nine-eleven, two planes crashed into the really big buildings known as the World Trade Center or “Twin Towers” in New York City. One of the planes crashed into our nation’s military headquarters, which is a five-sided building called the Pentagon near Washington D.C. One plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
After the planes crashed into the buildings in New York there was a lot of fire and smoke and people were very scared, but brave men and women (like firefighters and police officers) helped a lot of people get out of the building. Buildings sometimes fall down, or collapse, when they are on fire. Unfortunately, that’s what happened to the Twin Towers in New York City. A lot of people were hurt when the building fell down, and some died. Even after the buildings fell down, brave heroes helped save more people. It is kind of strange, but when terrible things happen, people – families, friends, and strangers alike – come together in a really kind and awesome way. Americans helped each other that day. Even when they were scared, brave people still helped each other.
Brave Americans also helped people who were hurt at the Pentagon near Washington DC, they put out the fire that started when a plane crashed into that building. A lot of the people in that building were military servicemembers, and even though soldiers get scared sometimes – they still help each other when something bad happens.
There was a group of really brave people on the airplane that crashed in Pennsylvania. They were so brave that when bad terrorists took over their airplane, the good people on the plane decided to fight the terrorists. The good people on that airplane stopped that airplane from crashing into any buildings and hurting even more people.
There is a lot of power in all of us. There is a lot of power in you. When we remember nine-eleven, we should all be reminded to practice kindness, compassion, and bravery. We should remember that men and women police officers, firefighters, and military servicemembers volunteer to protect us from terrorism. We should remember that when bad things happen, we as Americans can come together and help each other.
What does learning about nine-eleven make you feel? Sometimes it makes people feel sad or scared, and that’s ok, but you should talk to your family about it. It’s important to talk about nine-eleven because the stuff that happened that morning changed a lot of things in our country, and in the world. We hope you do something special today to honor nine-eleven: Go for a walk or run or hike, play outside, draw something, build something, make something, talk to your friends and family about nine-eleven and maybe even say “thank you” to police officers, firefighters, and other people who help and protect us. Thanks for talking about nine-eleven with me.
