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American Morning

Teenagers Talk About 9/11

Aired October 16, 2002 - 09:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Last evening I had a chance to sit down with five very interesting 15-year-old high school students. They're all sophomores, they attend a school in suburban Washington, D.C. The world is changing quickly for them. They talked about 9/11 a year ago. Remember, the Pentagon was hit, so very fresh in the minds of so many who live in this part of the country. I talked to them about their fears today, at school and at home and how now they are facing up to them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First five shootings, I had no idea what was going on. They just went on the announcements, they told us, the teachers just totally shut -- we went into code blue. My teacher did not turn on the TV. We just went on with our studies even though everyone was extremely nervous.

When I heard the p.a. announcement, the first thing I think is where this time, where? Like where did it happen and to who? That's the first thing that goes through my mind when I hear that there's been another shooting. That's just the first thing, like, who is this poor person, who's the poor victim now? And, you know, what were they doing? Getting the mail or mowing their lawn?

HEMMER: Corey, you think your parents are much more afraid than you are. Why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're worried for all of us. Like my mom won't let me -- she won't let me go outside for long periods of time. If I walk my dog, I can't go on the main roads.

HEMMER: It's not supposed to be that way, is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, all my freedoms are a lot shortened.

HEMMER: When the eighth grade boy was shot, about a week and a half ago, how did that impact you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think beforehand, it was more like, this is a crazy person who is just going completely at random, and it just sort of blew things away out of proportion when you think that he's shooting at kids now. It's not just, you know, fully-grown adults that are in shopping center. He's going to schools.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We went on a road trip the other day. We went up to Massachusetts, and it was so nice to stop for gas. And I would look around and then I would think, I'm in Massachusetts. I don't have to worry. It was a different experience. And then we came back and we stopped at the Maryland House and that was weird. I was, once again, thrown into this Maryland, D.C., area thing, and it's definitely affecting me.

HEMMER: Corey, what do you fear tomorrow?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That this guy's going to shoot again and it's going to hit closer to home. It's going to be either in another school or just right by my house.

HEMMER: Do you ever worry about your family? Your friends? Or no?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely.

HEMMER: You do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HEMMER: It's on your mind?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. I mean, it just, these have been so random that it could be anybody and especially like, I mean, my family, we live -- I -- I drive by one of the shootings every day and it could just happen. It is just so random that I do feel like I could be next. And it's just -- it's just a fear we have to live in right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Not one of those students has missed a day of school since this began two weeks ago, but clearly on their minds, yet again today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 16, 2002 - 09:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Last evening I had a chance to sit down with five very interesting 15-year-old high school students. They're all sophomores, they attend a school in suburban Washington, D.C. The world is changing quickly for them. They talked about 9/11 a year ago. Remember, the Pentagon was hit, so very fresh in the minds of so many who live in this part of the country. I talked to them about their fears today, at school and at home and how now they are facing up to them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First five shootings, I had no idea what was going on. They just went on the announcements, they told us, the teachers just totally shut -- we went into code blue. My teacher did not turn on the TV. We just went on with our studies even though everyone was extremely nervous.

When I heard the p.a. announcement, the first thing I think is where this time, where? Like where did it happen and to who? That's the first thing that goes through my mind when I hear that there's been another shooting. That's just the first thing, like, who is this poor person, who's the poor victim now? And, you know, what were they doing? Getting the mail or mowing their lawn?

HEMMER: Corey, you think your parents are much more afraid than you are. Why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're worried for all of us. Like my mom won't let me -- she won't let me go outside for long periods of time. If I walk my dog, I can't go on the main roads.

HEMMER: It's not supposed to be that way, is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, all my freedoms are a lot shortened.

HEMMER: When the eighth grade boy was shot, about a week and a half ago, how did that impact you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think beforehand, it was more like, this is a crazy person who is just going completely at random, and it just sort of blew things away out of proportion when you think that he's shooting at kids now. It's not just, you know, fully-grown adults that are in shopping center. He's going to schools.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We went on a road trip the other day. We went up to Massachusetts, and it was so nice to stop for gas. And I would look around and then I would think, I'm in Massachusetts. I don't have to worry. It was a different experience. And then we came back and we stopped at the Maryland House and that was weird. I was, once again, thrown into this Maryland, D.C., area thing, and it's definitely affecting me.

HEMMER: Corey, what do you fear tomorrow?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That this guy's going to shoot again and it's going to hit closer to home. It's going to be either in another school or just right by my house.

HEMMER: Do you ever worry about your family? Your friends? Or no?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely.

HEMMER: You do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HEMMER: It's on your mind?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. I mean, it just, these have been so random that it could be anybody and especially like, I mean, my family, we live -- I -- I drive by one of the shootings every day and it could just happen. It is just so random that I do feel like I could be next. And it's just -- it's just a fear we have to live in right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Not one of those students has missed a day of school since this began two weeks ago, but clearly on their minds, yet again today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com