September 11, 2001: Remembering And Honoring
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Twenty-four years ago, on September 11, 2001, the United States (US) faced the deadliest terrorist attacks in its history. The attacks were carried out by members of the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda. They killed 2,977 innocent people, leaving a lasting impact on the US.
What happened on September 11, 2001?
On the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists split into four groups and hijacked four commercial airplanes. United Flight 175 and American Flight 11 left from Boston. American Flight 77 took off from Washington, DC, and United Flight 93 from Newark, New Jersey. All were headed for San Francisco or Los Angeles and carried enough fuel to cause maximum damage.
Shortly after takeoff, passengers realized the planes had been hijacked. But people on the ground did not know until 8:46 am (EST). That is when American Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. At first, many thought it was an accident. That changed at 9:03 am., when United Flight 175 hit the South Tower. At 9:37 am, American Flight 77 struck the Pentagon in Virginia. Finally, United Flight 93 went down in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Phone calls from passengers and crew revealed that they fought the hijackers, preventing it from reaching its intended target — the US Capitol. By then, it was clear the US had suffered a series of well-planned terrorist attacks.
After the attacks
The impacts of the planes set off intense fires that quickly spread through the World Trade Center towers, weakening the steel supports. Within two hours, both 110-story buildings collapsed, sending enormous clouds of dust and debris across Lower Manhattan. Later that afternoon, the nearby 7 World Trade Center also fell. Fortunately, everyone inside had already been evacuated.
Amid the chaos, firefighters, paramedics, and police officers acted with extraordinary courage, rescuing an estimated 18,000 people. Many of these first responders gave their lives while trying to save others. At the Pentagon, Flight 77’s crash claimed 184 lives. The toll that day would have been even higher if not for the bravery of the 33 passengers and 7 crew members aboard Flight 93. Their actions helped prevent more destruction and saved countless lives on the ground.
What has happened since?
"Ground Zero," as it is now called, has been transformed into a place of remembrance and resilience. Four new towers now rise from the site, with the tallest being the One World Trade Center. Also known as the Freedom Tower, stands 1,776 feet (541 m) tall. Its height is a symbolic reference to the year of American independence.
Next to it lies the National September 11 Memorial, with two reflecting pools marking the footprints of the Twin Towers. The names of all the victims are etched into bronze panels surrounding the pools. The adjacent 9/11 Museum preserves artifacts and personal stories from that day.
The Pentagon also built a memorial with 184 stainless steel benches to honor both the government employees killed inside and the passengers of Flight 77. In Pennsylvania, the Flight 93 National Memorial commemorates the 40 passengers and crew who fought back. The site features the Tower of Voices, a 93-foot (25 m) structure containing 40 wind chimes.
Global War on Terror
The September 11 attacks started the US-led Global War on Terror. The first and longest part of this effort was the war in Afghanistan. It began on October 7, 2001 and ended almost 20 years later on August 31, 2021. Thousands of US soldiers died, and the war cost the country trillions of dollars.
Patriot Day
September 11, 2001, was one of the darkest days in US history and will never be forgotten. Yet it also brought Americans together, showing their determination to live without fear. This September 11 — Patriot Day — take a moment to honor the nearly 3,000 innocent lives lost on that day.
#NeverForget
Resources: History.com, Wikipedia.org, www.aljazeera.com
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60 Comments
- nurenasa-1757628913768 months:(
- tybypaly-1757628924588 monthsI cant imagine how the jumpers felt on their way down. So sad
paradoxgt248 monthsI feel so sad for the family's that lost their loved ones . and the first responders- lofekomajoso8 monthsI feel so sad for the family's that lost their loved ones . and the first responders
bojihepofawi8 monthsits unfortunate it had to happen- dapocuje-1756418990178 months#UNFORGETTABLE
- sabetagydozu8 monthsLow-key though they were willing to die for their countries and their god. To their county they were heroes. Not condoning though. #NEVERFORGET
- bojihepofawi8 monthsyeah if only we knew what their goal was:(
zehefimosyseabout 2 monthsthey were jihadists ( ppl that support jihad which is holy war), and they didnt like the US, they thought that the US was against Islam (which is basically the religion that muslims practice) and didnt like freedom of speech and religion and in the Holy Quran (their bible) it says that if you die for Allah (which is the Islam god) you were a hero and would be respected in the afterlife. but the taliban, al-Quaida, etc. took it to the extreme and outlawed "western" things (tv, music, fun, and freedom of speech) and if u were against them they would kill u. if u havent heard about Malala Yousafzai then i suggest u do some reasearch, she was shot (!!!!) by the Taliban for speaking out against them (cuz they were rlly unfair to girls and women , they thought that girls shouldnt go to school and malala fought for girls education) she survived tho and won the nobel peace prize at 17(!!!!!) so basically they just wanted to end the US their "enemy"- zehefimosyseabout 2 monthsthis is like 20 years of history in 1 paragraph so...
- bolurebasyko8 monthsrip the twin towers
- ginenypuhybu8 monthsI hope this country of ours never forgets this tragedy this was one of the most recent attacks on American soil and I hope their family's are safe and nothing like this ever happens again.
mango_mustard8 monthsi like 9/11 but it sad :(
