It was a day I will remember for the rest of my life, a day that America will not ever forget. The day of which I speak is, of course, September 11, 2001. In the future, many people will ask me where I was at the moment of the fateful attacks. I will be able to tell them that I was right at ground zero: Washington DC, our nation's capital.

You may be wondering what a student like me was doing there during a school week. Twenty-one students were selected from area high schools, myself included, to attend Congressman Porter Goss's Congressional Classroom. This program enables students from his district to travel to Washington, DC, and study life at the capital for a week. It was an honor for me to be the delegate selected from my high school. As we boarded the plane for Washington, I knew the trip would be exciting, but I, along with the rest of the world, had no idea of the horror that would soon wash over America. The trip started out with a tour of all of the famous monuments in the capital. We saw them all at night, and the effect was astonishing.

The next day, Sunday, we were lucky enough to see the taping of the number one viewed news show in America, Meet the Press with Tim Russert. We watched live as National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice talked about missile defense systems in the U.S. and as senators Dick Armey and Joseph Biden argued about the validity of these systems. We then got a personal behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol Building from Congressman Goss and his wife, which included briefings at the Rules Committee Room, the Intelligence Room, and the Speaker's Terrace.

Monday morning was spent in the capital building, but a little higher up than usual, as we toured the dome and got to climb to the top. We also went to the Holocaust Museum and went on an exclusive tour of the West Wing and the Press Briefing room at the White House.

Tuesday was a totally different story. The day started out with guest speakers in Cannon, the second congressional office building in a row of three. We then made our way to the subway under the building, which was supposed to take us directly to the Capitol, so we could meet the Speaker of the House. When we reached the subway, we were turned away because the Capital was being evacuated. We students knew something was wrong at that moment.

We went back to Congressman Goss's office, and the television was on. We watched in horror as the second plane hit the second tower in New York. Suddenly, a loud alarm sounded, and we were evacuated from the Cannon building. Outside was mass chaos. There were thousands of people evacuating from the office buildings as well as the capital. Cars were everywhere. The use of cell phones was impossible, as most people outside were talking frantically on theirs.

We then learned about the attack on the Pentagon and feared that the capital, which was right across the street, was next to be attacked. An extremely loud boom that seemed to be thunder at first interrupted our thoughts, and as we looked up and saw that the sky was perfectly clear, we thought our end was near. I remember this moment being the worst one for me because I thought that where we were standing was being bombed and that I would never get to see my family or friends again. We later learned that the boom had been a car bomb that had exploded nearby.

We were whisked away to the safety of the Gosses' house a few blocks down the road. We spent hours there, watching the story unfold on the television and praying that everyone was OK. There were many calls that came to the Goss household that morning, but one of them was Tim Russert himself, calling Congressman Goss to get a live interview, for Mr. Goss is the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee in the House of Representatives. It was so neat to hear Mr. Goss's voice on National television and to see the Congressman saying the same words right there in front of us.

When the subways were once again running, we left the Goss house and made our way to our hotel in Pentagon City, which just happened to be right across the street from the Pentagon itself. I could look outside my hotel room window and see the burning building and the helicopters and jets that surrounded it. I felt very safe in that hotel. It was almost scary how tight security was in that area.. Soldiers with AK-47 rifles were walking around on the street below us. That night, as I tried to fall asleep, I just couldn't stop fearing that another plane would crash into our hotel. I also couldn't stop praying for the families who had lost loved ones that day and I couldn't stop thanking God for protecting us from the danger that we experienced.

The next day we were lucky enough to find a bus that happened to be going to Florida, because flying home was out of the question, at least for a few days.

We made it home safe and sound -- into the arms of our thankful parents who were ever so happy to see us. Now, during the uniting of our great nation against terrorism, I have a newfound respect and value for life due to the experience I had in Washington. Because of this time of turmoil, I have never felt more proud to be an American.

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