Nine Years Later... Never Forget

     On this, the ninth anniversary of the September 11th terrorists attacks, I'd like to take a look at that day and the events following.  First off, let's talk about the day itself.  In what was the single greatest loss of life from one event on American soil, a group of radical Islamic terrorists forever changed America and the world.  I remember that day vividly.  I was 13 years old and in 8th grade.  Thinking back, I figure as best I could that I was in Ms. Michaeli science class when the first plane crashed into the North Tower.  The reason why I am not sure, is that we were not told of the events during the school day.  In a school that was K-8, the administration did not want to worry the younger children and decided rather to have them find out from their parents.  Some of them wanted to tell the older kids but figured they would then tell the younger kids.  Instead, the teachers were told during lunch time and asked to go about business as usual.  I only found out what had happened earlier in the day around 3:15 or so while on the bus ride home.  Having no idea what the high school students on the bus with me were talking about I asked a question.  The response I got was: "Yea, it was so bad that they canceled all the baseball and football games for the near future."  Keep in mind, I still had no idea what had happened.

      I then continued to listen in and ask what happened and when they had told me that four planes had crashed into both towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, PA I laughed at them because I thought they were joking.  I was sadly mistaken.  It took me a few minutes to realize that they were all telling the truth.  While I then acknowledged that they were in fact correct, I brushed it off as not really a big deal.  And then I got home.  I have never been so glued to a television as I was that day.  I still remember flipping through the channels and seeing every channel carrying network feeds of the tragic events.  I still remember flipping past MTV which, being owned by Viacom, was airing Dan Rather's CBS News report.  I remember thinking to myself that this may be the only time where I don't get yelled at for watching MTV... that lasted about an hour before I had to switch because my dad was listening to MTV and CBS who were a split second difference in their timing.  I had to switch to CBS because the other TV did not have cable at the time. 

      As I watched the replays of the planes hitting the towers and the pentagon and then the subsequent collapses of each tower long after they had actually happened I ached as though I were viewing it all live.  I remember WTC building 7 collapsing and with it I breathed a sigh of relief.  Don't get me wrong, I was not celebrating its collapse, merely relieved that "it was finally over."  Of course it wasn't really over, but it at least seemed at that point that the violent devastation had ceased.  Now all that was left was to take a toll of the loss, unite, and begin rebuilding and pushing forward.  Many images still stand out in my mind, that of the towers burning, the civilians running for their lives as the building collapse, and the firefighters removing the American Flag from Ground Zero.  Another image that sits with me is that of Dan Rather who faced the news with a heroic brevity and delivering the tragedy to the American people only to suffer a momentary lapse and breaking down in tears for a short moment.  I can only imagine how tough it is, when most Americans are left speechless, the amount of strength it takes to continue talking about it hour after hour.  I was hoping to find a video of this, but unfortunately the only Dan Rather/Sept. 11 videos out there are from his appearance on Letterman and those saying that involved Rather with the multitude of 9/11 conspiracy theories.  I want to inform you that on this tragic day, Dan Rather seemed to be the most trustworthy man in America to my 13 year old self.

     As tragic and horrific as all of the events were, it is safe to say that it could have been much worse.  Before I begin this, let me just say I am not saying that this was a minor tragedy, I still am brought nearly to tears every year on Sept. 11 when watching the news reports.  But yet, every tragedy can always be far worse than it was.  First off, the architects of the twin towers should be commended.  They built the buildings strong enough to withstand a bombing attempt in 1993, and when the same group of terrorists attacked the towers in 2001 they were not quite strong enough.  However, they were designed in a way that should they ever come down (either by collapse or demolition) that they would pancake on themselves rather than toppling over sideways.  While I am in no way diminishing the value of the 2,753 lives of those lost in the towers or as the result of their collapse, but just think of how many more lives could have been lost if the towers had toppled over into the streets of New York.  As it was, debris from the buildings spread for blocks, but imagine if the buildings themselves had spread for blocks, as well as the other buildings that would have collapsed as a result.

     Also take into consideration that the attacks occurred around 9:00 am, many workers at the World Trade Center and the surrounding area had not yet made it into work.  If the attacks had occurred closer to 11:00 am (before lunch) or 2:00-3:00pm (before the end of the day) when the area was full of hard working unsuspecting Americans, the death toll would only have been higher. 

     In Washington D.C., the attacks on the Pentagon took the lives of 184 people.  Again, this number could have been higher.  The wing of the Pentagon that had been hit was under renovation and therefore featured many vacant offices.  It also was the area of the Pentagon best suited to withstand such an attack as a result of the renovation.  Take a look at what Wikipedia, yes Wikipedia, says about the Pentagon attack:

"It was the only area of the Pentagon with a sprinkler system, and it had been reconstructed with a web of steel columns and bars to withstand bomb blasts. The steel reinforcement, bolted together to form a continuous structure through all of the Pentagon's five floors, kept that section of the building from collapsing for 30 minutes—enough time for hundreds of people to crawl out to safety. The area struck by the plane also had blast-resistant windows—2 inches thick and 2,500 pounds each—that stayed intact during the crash and fire. It had fire doors that opened automatically and newly built exits that allowed people to get out."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_pentagon

     Perhaps the most heroic story of this tragic day was that of United 93.  You all know the outcome, the plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, PA.  Undoubtedly headed for Washington if you take a look at the flight path, United 93 inexplicably crashed in a vacant field.  It is still under debate what target the hijackers had intended to hit.  Many believe that the Capitol or even the White House were originally intended to be attacked.  Think of the impact that losing the Capitol and possibly many Congresspeople would have had.  The prospect of the attack hitting the White House, while still unthinkable, is less scary when you consider that President Bush was reading to elementary school kids at Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, FL.  At the same time, who knows how many cabinet members or other high ranking, influential government officials were in the White House at the time.  It was later learned that after being told about the other attacks by loved ones, the passengers of United 93 decided to retake the plane.  Todd Beamer's quote "Are you guys ready?  Okay.  Let's Roll."  to me, is the definition of heroism.  Knowing wholeheartedly that you are risking your lives and the lives of 29 other passengers and crew to save the lives of hundreds on the ground is inspirational.  It is still in doubt whether the passengers breached the cockpit or not, although it doesn't much matter.  The aircraft and the hijackers failed to reach their target.

     Nine years have passed and a lot has changed in that time.  The feeling of patriotism amongst Americans is significantly higher than it was on September 10, 2001.  We are also much more aware of the world around us and that the freedoms we take for granted paint a target on our back in the eyes of those who do not have such independence.  We strive to maintain these freedoms while tightening down on security to prevent another 9/11. 

     We are also in the midst of a war overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq that is a direct result of the September 11 attacks.  While this war brings with it many controversy, it is essential that regardless of your thoughts on the war itself, that you support the troops.  Do not chastise those who are working to earn a living by risking their lives to protect those of us here back home and our freedoms.  Just think where we would be if there were as many protests during the Revolutionary War or the Civil War or World War II.  If Americans had protested those wars as greatly as they have this one and driven the morale of the soldiers down to the point of defeat we may very well still be British, or two separate countries, or German.  But this isn't exactly the relevant point.  The point is that everywhere you looked after 9/11 you saw American flags and "United We Stand" printed everywhere.  Yet here we stand divided again.  Split between those that support the war because "if we sit back and do nothing then the terrorists win," and those that oppose the war.  Even domestically we are battling issues stemming from the events of September 11.

     As I write this there are protests against and support rallies for the establishment of a Muslim community center two blocks from the site of Ground Zero.  I understand the feelings of resentment that many people have but you have to realize that Islam is a faith based on peace.  Like any faith, there are those that take their faith to the limit and do things that cast their entire religion with a bad light.  If you don't want to see a Mosque that close to Ground Zero then don't walk past it.  There are plenty of Americans who have positively impacted our country that have been Muslim.  Those who express their feelings of animosity towards those wishing to worship at the proposed Mosque, I implore you to say the same things towards Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dave Chapelle, Shaq, among other beloved pop culture icons.  If we still want to "Stand United," then strive for peace, not revenge.

     While construction is underway on the new World Trade Center and a 1,776 foot "Freedom Tower" one can only be proud but skeptical.  As an American I am proud of the fact that we are honoring those lost by remembering them while pushing forwards for a better tomorrow.  Rebuilding the WTC shows that we will not be beat, and that we will be stronger than ever.  However, when you consider that the North Tower with antenna included only reached 1,727 feet coupled with the 1,362 foot South Tower served as a "pompous display of American ignorance" to the terrorist groups abroad.  One can't help but be pessimistic that a taller tower with a symbolic height will serve as a similar target.  I hope that we have learned from our past faults and our issues of security to ever have something like this happen again.

 
   It's been nine years since 19 hijackers took control of four planes and crashed into the World Trade Center; the Pentagon; and a field outside of Shanksville, PA taking with them their lives and the lives of 2,977 people, most of which Americans.  Every anniversary brings with it memorials and remembrance ceremonies.  These will be capped off tonight with the "Tribute in Light."  Many of you may remember the two blue light beams that shot skyward into the air for months after the attacks.  They will once again shine brightly tonight.