Saturday marks the three-year anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history.

Roger Biles, a visiting professor of history, said Sept. 11 is one of the few days in modern history that can define a generation.

“People of my generation always remember where they were when they heard of the Kennedy assassination,” he said. “Just like people in your generation will remember where they were on Sept. 11.”

With that in mind, Sweeps polled students for their memories:

“I was in my bed when my brother called. He said, ‘Dude, Anne get up, it’s World War III.’ I was a little dazed and confused to say the least.”

-Senior nursing major Anne Thumm

“I was in Pakistan at the time, studying at a university there. It was all over the news. I was really surprised. I didn’t think such a thing could happen to America.”

-Ahsan Ali Qureshi, freshman mechanical engineering major

“I was sleeping at my sorority house when my friends woke me up. I was in disbelief that something so horrendous could happen.”

-Laura Osland, senior English literature major

“I was on the bus riding to school and friends told me. I didn’t really understand what was going on. All I knew was that I shouldn’t be in school when the Pentagon was on fire. When I saw the pictures, I was thinking we should kick some [expletive deleted].”

-Luke Serafin, freshman technical engineering major