September 11, 2001…Twenty Years Later

A Day That Will Never, Ever Be Forgotten

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, was just any other ordinary day for all of us waking up that morning.  It was a beautiful September morning where the weather was perfect and all felt right.  With only just a few hours into a brand new day, horror struck New York in a way that has never been witnessed before.  The North World Trade Center Tower was struck by a passenger jet.  At first, this was seen as a horrible accident that no one could have imagined.  Everyone in New York, all the way to the Presidential Administration, thought it was a horrible mid-air accident that led to the passenger jet crashing.  Moments later, another passenger jet was seen flying low and at a rapid speed in the Manhattan area, where it wound up crashing into the South World Trade Center Tower.  Once this occurred, it was apparent that our great nation was under attack with a coordinated plan of action.  Tuesday, September 11, 2001, started to become a day that would live in history to be one of the most tragic days mankind has witnessed.

Hijacked Aircraft

Two passenger jet planes were hijacked and had crashed into The World Trade Center in New York, while two more planes, left unresponsive to air traffic controllers, were gliding away from their set path.  Moments after the The World Trade Center attacks, the US Pentagon was struck by another plane that was hijacked.  With current President George Bush out of the office, the realization of these attacks started to sink in as the emotions of not just American citizens, but global citizens as well, witnessing these attacks were left speechless.  United 93’s flight was the last plane to be hijacked, and was headed towards Washington D.C.  Some have speculated that the plane was destined to crash into The White House.  In an act of bravery, the passengers of United 93 stormed and tried to take over the cockpit to save their lives on the plane as well as on the ground.  United 93 ended up crashing in a farm area in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  The plane never made it to Washington D.C., and the lives aboard that plane were lost and remain heroes for their courageous acts.

The Collapse

Just before 10am in New York, after being struck by a passenger jet plane, the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.  The collapse of the tower sent clouds of smoke and debris spreading throughout New York City.  While moments after the South Tower collapsed and the smoke slowly started to clear, the North Tower collapsed.  Both towers were filled with innocent people that were trapped, as well as, firefighters, paramedics, and police officers making their way up the towers to rescue those who were trapped.  There were more than 3,000 lives that were lost on September 11, 2001.  This day was a day where the world stood still and watched in horror, as these inhumane acts took the lives of innocent people.

Twenty years have passed since these horrible acts and to this day, we never forgot what took place.  As Americans, we stand united.  Preserving our great nation, and rebuilding after these events is what our nation is made of.  While our hearts are filled with sadness from all that was lost on September 11, 2001, we continue to honor the victims with the memorials set in where the two towers stood.  In addition to these memorials, the One World Trade Center stands high in New York as it honors the previous towers and what they meant to New York.  

On the night before September 11, 2001 – 

There were 246 people that went to sleep in preparation for their morning flights…

2,606 people went to sleep in preparation for their work the next day in The World Trade Center Towers…

343 firefighters went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift…

60 police officers went to sleep in preparation for their morning patrol…

8 paramedics went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift…

None of these people saw past 10:00 am on September 11, 2001.  As we continue to build a greater and safer tomorrow, we will never forget those lives lost, as well as, all that happened on September 11, 2001.