by David Whisenant (WBTV.com)
They were in elementary or middle school at the time of 9/11, but it is the major historic event of their lives.
College students across the country and the Carolinas are now reacting to the death of Osama bin Laden, and the memories today's news brings back even for our society's young.
"We ended up getting out of school early," Jeremy Gardner recalled. Gardner, from Concord, is a sophomore from Catawba College. "My parents came and got me, we ended up sitting in front of the TV for hours watching it, horrified, terrified."
"Our teacher turned the TV on and let us watch it," said Crystal Ignatowski, a junior from Durham. "We saw the second plane hit the WTC, a somber moment."
The children of September 11, 2001, are the young adults and college students of today.
Many of them learned of bin Laden's death through Twitter and social networks.
At Catawba College in a political science class, they talked about 9/11 in light of the death of the Osama bin Laden.
Crystal's grandfather was a firefighter at the Pentagon on 9/11, and her brother was inspired that day to later join the military. He told her about bin Laden's death.
;"He was excited, elated to tell me that bin Laden was dead," Ignatowski added.
But they're also aware of the questions this death brings.
"What's going to happen next, chop off a head, what happens next," added Gardner
"You cut the head off but the body is still alive and very much active," said Dr. Michael Bitzer, Catawba College Associate Professor of Politics and History and the Chairman of the Department of History and Politics. "We're going to see terrorism crop up, it will be strategic, it will be very focused, we'll see more terrorism in the future."
Students here will discuss bin Laden today and hope his death might mean a safer future for them.
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VIDEO: Catawba College Students Discuss Bin Laden's Death
FULL STORY: Catawba College Students React to Bin Laden Death (Salisbury.wbtv.com)
