It has been more than 10 years now since the nation was rocked from its foundation. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 still lay heavy on America’s heart. Nationwide there are memorials and remembrance held in honor of the lives lost on that fateful day.

Some people don’t remember actually what they were doing or the depth of the impact, while others will never forget what this nation endured.

Some were deeply influenced like Stephanie Vernier, 22, who recalls what she was doing when she got the news.

“I was in first-hour class in the seventh grade in Michigan, so there was a time difference. All of sudden everyone was talkative. Everyone started watching TV at school and some people were devastated about family members,” said Vernier.

Vernier thinks that during 2008, a lot of young people in her age group joined the military.

“ I joined the U.S. Marine Corp, the elite branch of the armed forces. I think the people in my generation who I joined with, wanted to go to Afghanistan and Iraq to get back what they stole from us,” Vernier stated.

Vernier remembers her grandparents’ reaction to the attacks. Her grandfather, a veteran from the Vietnam War, was very angry because he felt that the U.S. military capabilities was being tested yet again. Her grandmother was more upset than angry because she felt that it meant a war was coming.

To Vernier, September 11th was a shocking and surreal moment because most people didn’t think it could happen. Vernier takes a moment of silence every anniversary of the attacks to remember all those lives that were taken.

On that day, people of different ages reacted in varying ways.   Jennifer Kelly, 27, recalls being at home and getting her kids up for the morning, when she turned the TV on like every morning.

“I saw the first tower on fire and the other was still standing. It read ‘terrorist attack’ and like 15 minutes later I saw the second tower fall,” Kelly recalls.

When Kelly saw the second tower go down, she immediately grabbed the kids in her arms and called her husband, telling him to come home.

Kelly’s next thought was to start praying.

“I thought it was the end of the world! We had been talking about the Rapture in church the day before, so I was afraid that my kids were going to fly out of my arms,” she explained.

Once she realized it wasn’t the end, she continued watching the live news coverage and found out that the World Trade Center was also involved. The attack on the Trade Center greatly saddened Kelly, because  she knew there was a daycare center inside the Trade Center and she felt sympathy for the children that lost their lives that day.

Kelly began looking for places to hide around her home, then in Wasco. She thought that it was the beginning of World War III so she didn’t want to take any chances.

She believes that after the attacks had happened, America went into a discriminatory state against Muslims. Kelly feels that she was in the same mind frame as most Americans until she saw the movie “My Name is Kan” in class just one semester ago.

“I began teaching my kids to examine and pay attention to the whole picture and not judge a group of people off the actions of a few,” said Kelly.

There were events in Bakersfield commemorating those who had fallen.

One gathering took place at Cal State Bakersfield where students, faculty and the community came to the campus to gather and show their respect for the innocent and deceased Americans. They banded together to form a human linked version of that historical date, showing that those people will never be forgotten.