When I was a little girl, we stood in class with our hands held over our hearts and said the Pledge of Allegiance. I never thought much about it as it was part of a daily 'routine'. I don't even think I comprehended what it meant. Patriotism, until September 11, 2001, was just a word to me. I knew I loved my country and was thankful to live here, but being an American didn't evoke the feelings within me that it does today. Today, I think I know for the first time what it feels like to be an .