Hi, Bonnie - thanks for commenting.

That was one of my points in a way.   While everyone who is alive and at least a certain age remembers these critical events, they don't all remember them in the same way.    For example, when 9/11 occurred, I was a middle-aged middle manager at a social services agency, while my two sons were both in their young adulthood (military age).  I did not experience personal fear duirng those first few days, but I was very scared for both of them, especially since I was afraid that they might do something premature in the excitement of the moment.

It's also interesting to revisit our earlier memories and concdeptions of a historical event and see how age changes our emotions and perception of what has happened.

You are absolutely right that these generational events shape us as a group, if you are talking about the generation to which you belong.

John