It was Sept. 11, 2001, and Kevin Weschler was excited.
What fourth-grader getting out of school early on his birthday wouldn’t be? He didn’t even know what the Twin Towers were.
Now, 12 years later, Weschler celebrates — carefully.
“I try to have a good time while still recognizing ... that day,” said the 22-year-old UF industrial and systems engineering senior.
He’s not alone. Likely due to it falling roughly nine months after New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day, Sept. 16 is the most common birthday in the United States. Being born near that date — including Sept. 11 — is extremely common.
Andrea Sarcos, a 21-year-old UF visual art studies junior, remembers Sept. 11, 2001, as a good birthday. Her parents threw a pool party with a bounce house.
But as she grew older, she felt the tension.
“I was kind of selfish,” Sarcos said. “I kind of ignored whatever was going on. It was hard to feel happy when everyone around you was sad.”
That reaction isn’t uncommon. On her 10th birthday, Stephanie Trappberger’s friends kept coming up to her and saying, “I’m sorry.”
The 22-year-old UF animal sciences senior said on Sept. 11, 2001, she went out with her family to a seafood restaurant. They were the only customers.
“It was a normal day before it happened,” Trappberger said. “As time went on and the older I got, now I really know the significance of the day.”
She celebrates her birthday like normal, but she remembers what happened that day.
“It’s still in the back of my mind,” Trappberger said.
Similarly, now that she’s older, Sarcos said, she feels a sense of tribute on the day.
“I respect it,” she said. “I’ll think about it. I’m just more aware.”
But really, those with 9/11 birthdays can’t seem to forget it.
Trappberger, Weschler and Sarcos all said when they tell friends their birth date, many react with surprise.
“I’ve never gotten anyone who’s like ‘Oh, cool,’” Sarcos said. “More like ‘Are you serious?’ or, ‘Are you lying?’”
Each year, when the day itself comes, the students are challenged to strike a balance between somber remembrance and personal celebration.
“I separate 9/11 and my birthday in my mind as two separate concepts,” Weschler said. “I think of ‘9/11’ as a tragedy, and I think of September 11th as my birthday. Even though it happened to be simultaneous.”
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 9/11/2013 under the headline "9/11 babies used to sharing birthday"
