When 10-year-old Cullen Thomson of Langley gets on an airplane to see his Meme and Pepe in Washington D.C., he has a routine.

He excuses himself to go to the bathroom and then he strolls up and down the aisles.

“I am aware of the faces. I go down the aisle to see if they’re terrorist faces,” he said.

He doesn’t tell anybody what he is up to. Once he feels safe enough, he’ll return to his seat.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001 has lingering impact on a generation of children.

“I am scared that terrorists could take over the plane,” Cullen said.

The indelible image of airplanes crashing into the Twin Towers and the World Trade Center collapsing sticks firmly in the psyches of these young people. Time and time again, the skyscrapers came tumbling down on television.

Too young to comprehend the confusing tidbits of information, youngsters were thrown into a new reality where, as it seemed, nobody was completely safe.

Children today between the ages of 5 and 15 are the first generation since Pearl Harbor raised with the notion that the U.S. is not invincible.

The images of Sept. 11 became impossible to unravel from young memories, despite parents’ efforts to shelter their children.

Cullen was 5 the day of the 9/11 terror attacks.

He was getting ready to go on a field trip with his pre-school class to visit the fire department.

The trip was canceled. Too many parents, including Cullen’s mom Jacqueline, wanted to keep their kids at home that day.

Safe at home, the family watched TV. Cullen can’t remember details, but he recalled his mom saying “no, no, no” over and over again.

“I was mad. I was confused, scared, angry. I wanted to know what happened,” he said.

The teachers in school did not talk to the children about the catastrophe, Cullen recalled.

“I went outside the door once.

I heard teachers say, ‘We can’t talk to the kids. They’ll get scarred,’” Cullen said. “I guess they were scarred we’d run away.”

Five year’s later, Cullen still has questions. He has slowly pieced together the history of the events on his terms. He likes to research the terrorist attacks and his parents allow him to watch documentaries and movies dealing with the subject.

Considering that he is only 10, Cullen has developed strong views on politics.

His grandfather, or Pepe, works at the Pentagon as an administrator and is rather conservative. His parents have more liberal views.

And amidst these influences, he came up with his own ideas.

Cullen said he does not believe all the government says about the attacks and the subsequent wars.

“Lies have been told,” Cullen said with a very mature certainty in his voice.

For the most part, he feels pretty safe in America. And while he wants to unravel the mysteries of the day that changed history and his generation forever, things closer to home are what matter to him.

“My dog Angel died a couple of months ago,” he said showing off the backyard memorial for the boxer. “That made me really sad.”