“Where were you when the world stopped turnin’ That September day? Were you in the yard with your wife and children Or workin’ on some stage in L.A.? Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke Risin’ against that blue sky? Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor Or did you just sit down and cry?”
It will be the 20th anniversary of 9/11 come September. 20 years since September 11, 2001. A day that the terrorist group al-Qaida launched a series of four coordinated attacks against the United States using four hijacked passenger airplanes.
At 8:46 a.m., five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. 76 passengers and 11 crew members were killed, and hundreds more died instantly inside the building. The crash cut off all three emergency stairwells and trapped hundreds of people above the 91st floor. At 9:03 a.m., a second plane with five hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower killing 51 passengers and 9 crew members. The impact made two of the building’s three emergency stairwells impassable and cut elevator cables in the area. Many were trapped above the impact zone and inside elevators.
The attacks triggered the largest rescue operation in the history of New York City. Approximately 2,000 police officers and nearly 1,000 firefighters responded. More than 100 ambulances were sent to the site within the first hour. Responders from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), New York City Police Department (NYPD), Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), and other state and federal agencies deployed to the World Trade Center. Many first responders entered the Twin Towers prepared to rescue trapped civilians. Others helped survivors exit, guided the injured to medical assistance, and kept bystanders out of harm’s way.
At 9:37 a.m., five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, a symbol of the country’s military strength. The crash killed 6 crew members and 53 passengers, including five children, and 125 people on the ground. Fires fed by jet fuel of the plane, reached temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
At 9:28 a.m. four hijackers broke into the cockpit of United Airlines Flight 93. At least 10 passengers and two crew members made phone calls from Flight 93, learning that two hijacked aircraft had already struck the World Trade Center and providing information about the hijacking to loved ones and authorities. In a call to Airfone supervisor Lisa Jefferson, passenger Todd M. Beamer explained the plane was flying erratically and the passengers and crew were planning to launch a counterassault. Jefferson recounted the last words she heard, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll!” Passengers and crew began a six-minute assault on the cockpit shortly before 10:00 a.m. Realizing they were seconds away from being overtaken, the hijackers deliberately crashed the plane in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, approximately 20 minutes’ flying time from Washington, D.C. 7 crew members and 33 passengers perished. The hijackers’ intended target may have been the U.S. Capitol Building, where Congress was in session.
At 9:59 a.m., after burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower collapsed in 10 seconds. Clouds of smoke and debris rolled through the surrounding streets, sending thousands running for their lives. At 10:28 a.m., 102 minutes after the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center, the North Tower also collapsed. More than 2,400 civilians and first responders inside the buildings and in the surrounding area were killed. The victims included 441 first responders: 343 from the FDNY, 37 from the PAPD, 23 from the NYPD, and 38 from other agencies. At 5:20 p.m., 7 World Trade Center, a 47-story office building just north of the Twin Towers, collapsed after burning for hours.
Search and rescue teams, along with volunteers, immediately converged on the World Trade Center site. The collapse of two 110-story buildings created piles of rubble multiple stories high and extending seven stories belowground. Sharp, burning hot steel wreckage, unstable surfaces, and toxic dust posed dangers for all who had rushed there in hopes of rescuing survivors. Only 18 people were found alive at the site. The last successful rescue occurred midday on September 12.
Nearly 100 dogs worked at the Trade Center. They are heroes. During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs & their owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors. Bretagne remained the only living 9/11 search and rescue dog until June 6, 2016, when she was laid to rest just shy of 17 years old. They, along with human rescuers, suffered lasting health problems that were tied to their heroic efforts.
The terrorist organization al-Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The group is an extreme outgrowth of a political movement known as Islamism. Founded by Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda hoped to launch a global, violent struggle to break the influence of the West in Muslim-majority countries.
Within hours of the 9/11 attacks the scene of destruction at the World Trade Center site was referred to as Ground Zero. Within days, thousands of rescue personnel, investigators, engineers, laborers, and volunteers arrived to join the rescue and recovery efforts. Recovery workers cleared between one and two million tons of debris over the course of nine months. Most of the World Trade Center wreckage was transported to the Fresh Kills Landfill—meaning “fresh water” in Dutch—on Staten Island. Two dozen federal, state, and city agencies participated in the recovery of human remains and evidence at Fresh Kills. Twenty years later, the families of around 40 percent of 9/11 victims from the World Trade Center have never received identifiable remains of their loved ones.
Vigils and expressions of solidarity appeared around the world. The urge to mourn alongside others brought people together across the country, and around the world. Spontaneous memorials appeared in town squares, on roadside billboards, and outside firehouses and police stations. Flags were flown at half-staff in recognition of the country’s loss, and candlelight vigils were held in remembrance of the victims and in solidarity against terrorism. The death toll on 9/11 included individuals from more than 90 nations.
On September 20, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush announced that the United States had declared war on “a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them.” The U.S. government initiated a Global War on Terror, sending troops to Afghanistan in October 2001 and later to Iraq.
Nearly 10 years after 9/11, U.S. President Barack Obama authorized a special operations raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden was believed to be hiding. On May 1, 2011, U.S. Navy SEALs and Army aviators carried out the operation and killed bin Laden.
“So you need to understand, 9/11 didn’t end at midnight or a year later….9/11 still goes on,” stated Sonia Agron, American Red Cross volunteer who worked near Ground Zero after 9/11.
More than 400,000 survivors, first responders, rescue and recovery workers, cleaning crews, lower Manhattan residents, and others are estimated to have been exposed to toxic dust in New York City on 9/11 or during recovery operations. Tens of thousands nationwide are now suffering from chronic illnesses, including respiratory diseases, mental health issues, and more than 100 types of cancer. Thousands of those exposed have died.
Like the medical professionals and others who responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, first responders, recovery workers, and volunteers demonstrated selflessness and compassion both on and after September 11, 2001. Their actions created a connection between public service and 9/11 remembrance that endures today. For many, 9/11 served as a call to change the world for the better, an idea formalized in 2009 when the U.S. Congress made September 11 an annual National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Two decades have passed since the 9/11 attacks, and terrorism remains a global threat. We may never be able to prevent all of the actions of people intent on harming others, but we do have control over how we respond to such events. Whether by volunteering in our local communities, serving our nation in the military, caring for the sick and injured, or through other efforts, all of us can help build the world in which we want to live. As we witness history unfolding in our own time, the ways we choose to respond—both large and small—can demonstrate the best of human nature after even the worst of days.
For many we remember where we were and what we were doing on that September day. But many young people have no knowledge. They do not remember watching the planes crash and the horrific aftermath. For older Americans, in contrast, 9/11 remains a vivid memory. Ten years later, 97% of Americans 8 or older at the time could remember exactly where they were when they heard the news, according to a 2011 survey by the Pew Research Center.
These events changed lives. David Pan, a career intelligence officer, was inside the Pentagon on 9/11. It changed his life forever. Pan was fortunate to make it out of the Pentagon alive; however, the emotional impact the day made on him is everlasting. “To me, 9/11 was a life defining moment. The world will never be the same as the day before,” said Pan. “Our innocence at our home front was forever shattered. We look at the world and ourselves differently.”
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum pays tribute to the victims and honors the survivors of the September 11, 2001. It “stands as a beacon of healing and renewal – a physical embodiment of the compassion we showed to one another, the resolve we demonstrated to the world, and how, in the face of unfathomable loss, we rose as one. During this 20th anniversary year, we will share the history and lessons learned with a new generation, teach them about the ongoing repercussions of the 9/11 attacks, and inspire the world with memories of our fortitude, strength, and resilience.”
Twenty years later, these lessons are more important than ever. We need to remember how the country came together as one. Maybe at this time of turmoil in our country we should vividly remember. Remember the horror yes, but remember the solidarity our citizens and the world displayed to one and all. We should take a moment on the morning of 9/11 and remember.
“Did you weep for the children, they lost their dear loved ones; Pray for the ones who don’t know? Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble And sob for the ones left below? Did you burst out with pride for the red, white, and blue And the heroes who died just doin’ what they do? Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer And look at yourself and what really matters? And I remember this from when I was young. Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us and the greatest is love.”
(Most of this info is from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum sight. The lyrics are from Alan Jackson’s song.) Where were you when the world stopped turnin’ That September day?