Will These Terror Acts Change Our Lives?

TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2001, is most likely a date that will be marked forever in your heart.

On that morning, just two days ago, two large commercial airliners that had been hijacked crashed into the upper floors of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, causing the 110-story buildings to collapse in cinders and rubble onto the streets below. In Washington, D.C., another hijacked jet crashed into the west side of the Pentagon, triggering a huge explosion and fire. A fourth hijacked jet crashed in Pennsylvania.

Finding survivors and bodies in the mountains of debris is an enormous task. It will take time to reach a final death count. Yesterday searchers in Washington estimated that about 800 may have died. New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said the death toll of the World Trade Center "will be more than most of us can bear.? More than 200 died aboard the airlines. The number of lives lost could eclipse the loss of life in the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, when more than 2,300 perished.

Somehow, each of us will all be changed by what happened. Please share with us your reactions to these terrible deeds. (We'd like to hear from your parents, too.)

How has what happened affected you?

Do you know anyone who was on the scene that day? How were they affected?

What do you think could cause people to perpetrate such terror on innocent people?

Does what happened make you feel less .secure about the future of our region and country? Will you be afraid to visit New York City?

And lastly, if you could send a message to the person, or persons responsible for the acts, what would you say?

Send or e-mail your thoughts, poems and/or drawings to Newsday, Student Briefing Page, 235 Pinelawn Road, Melville, NY 11747. Include your name, grade, school, town and phone number.