When the World Stopped Turning: A 9/11 tribute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States. On that morning, terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners.^[1][2] The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the building, causing both buildings to collapse within two hours, destroying at least two nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon.

 

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"Let's Roll"

 

 

Excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died in the attacks. Another 24 were missing and presumed dead. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals from over 90 different countries. In addition, the death of at least one person from lung disease was ruled by a medical examiner to be a result of exposure to dust from the World Trade Center's collapse, as rescue and recovery workers were exposed to airborne contaminants following the World Trade Center's collapse.

The United States responded to the attacks by declaring a War on Terrorism, launching an invasion of Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda terrorists, and enacting the USA PATRIOT Act. Many other nations also strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. Stock exchanges closed for almost a week, and posted enormous losses upon reopening, especially in the airline and insurance industries. The economy of Lower Manhattan ground to a halt, as billions of dollars in office space was damaged or destroyed.

The damage to the Pentagon was cleared and repaired within a year, and a small memorial built on the site. Rebuilding the World Trade Center site has proven more difficult, with controversy over possible designs as well as the pace of construction. The selection of the Freedom Tower for the site has drawn extensive criticism, forcing the abandonment of some parts of the project.

 

 

Early in the morning on September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners en route to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Boston, Newark, and Washington (Washington Dulles International Airport).^[1] The hijackers flew two of the airliners, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center.^[3] Another group of hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon. A fourth flight, United Airlines Flight 93, whose ultimate target was either the U.S. Capitol building or the White House, crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.^[4][5][6]

During the hijacking of the airplanes, the hijackers used box cutters to kill passengers and crew members, but some passengers were able to make phone calls using the cabin airphone service and mobile phones.^[7][8] They reported that several hijackers were aboard each plane. The hijackers had reportedly taken control of the aircraft by using knives and box-cutter knives to kill flight attendants and at least one pilot or passenger, including the captain of Flight 11, John Ogonowski.^[9] The 9/11 Commission established that two of the hijackers had recently purchased Leatherman multi-function hand tools.^[10] Some form of noxious chemical spray, such as tear gas or pepper spray, was reported to have been used on American 11 and United 175 to keep passengers out of the first-class cabin.^[11] A flight attendant on Flight 11, a passenger on Flight 175, and passengers on Flight 93 mentioned that the hijackers had bombs, but one of the passengers also mentioned he thought the bombs were fake. No traces of explosives were found at the crash sites. The 9/11 Commission Report believed the bombs were probably fake.^[9]

On United Airlines Flight 93, black box recordings revealed that crew and passengers attempted to seize control of the plane from the hijackers after learning through phone calls that similarly hijacked planes had been crashed into buildings that morning.^[12][13] According to the transcript of Flight 93's recorder, one of the hijackers gave the order to roll the plane once it became evident that they would lose control of the plane to the passengers.^[14] Soon afterward, the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, at 10:03:11 a.m. local time (14:03:11 UTC). Al-Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed mentioned in a 2002 interview with Yosri Fouda, an al Jazeera journalist, that Flight 93's target was the United States Capitol, which was given the code name "the Faculty of Law".^[15]

The collapse of the World Trade Center was the central event of the September 11, 2001 attacks, during which each of the twin towers was hit by a hijacked airliner. The south tower (2 WTC) collapsed at 9:59 a.m., less than an hour after being hit. The north tower (1 WTC) followed at 10:28 a.m.

2,751 people inside and near the towers were killed, including all 157 passengers and crew aboard the two airplanes.^[1] The collapse of the twin towers also caused extensive damage to the rest of the complex and nearby buildings. As a result, at 5:20 p.m. 7 World Trade Center collapsed as well.

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The Pentagon Memorial, under construction outside the Pentagon, is one of several memorials to those killed at the Pentagon in the September 11, 2001 attacks. In the aftermath of the attacks, there were numerous impromptu memorials in areas around the Pentagon. When the damaged section of the Pentagon was rebuilt, the America's Heroes Memorial (a small memorial) and chapel were included, located inside at the exact spot of the Flight 77 impact. The Pentagon Memorial is an outdoor memorial, under construction at the Pentagon. The memorial is scheduled to be dedicated in September 2008, and will be open to the public.^[1] Another memorial to victims of the Pentagon attack is located in Arlington National Cemetery. The site of the memorial will be the first actual 9/11 Memorial, law enforcement function for the memorial falls under the jurisdiction of the United States Pentagon Police.

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GOD BLESS AMERICA

  

 

Bridge Over Troubled Water 9/11 Tribute

 

 

 

Second Plane Slams into the WTC

 

26 Minute Eye Witness recording 36 floors up from a neighboring building

 

   

 

 

www.remembranceflag.com/

In Remembrance by: Lieutenant T.S. Robinson
A flag of honor, a flag for reflection It stands for us all uniting this nation It will keep in our minds this tragic day Memories of such heroic acts shall not go away	Stars that shine on a field of bright blue Remind us of heroes with hearts so true An ordinary day, it had started out to be Soon their lives would be given for you and me
As we look on this flag of cloth and thread A field of bright red for the blood that was shed Not just on this day of lasting memories But for lives that were given throughout history	A circle is drawn to stand for our nation's unity A nation coming together through such tragedy A reminder is given for all of America to see That our freedom is never really free
Two towers of strength that rose up so high Reaching for dreams, they stretched to the sky They lay now in ruin at the hands of hate Great symbols of our nation have met this fate	"God Bless America" is written in white Make this your prayer each and every night God is always with us, He knows our needs Bring America back to God, should be our decree
Our nation's military housed in a fortress of steel We're reminded this day that war is so real Hitting the heart of our power and might Rise up America, this terror we must fight	Much was given, many were lost on this day A man of terror tried to take our spirit away Do not let our new found spirit and unity fade As you look on this flag, remember this day

• The red background of the flag symbolizes the lives lost and bloodshed of our fellow Americans... past, present and future.
  The pentagon and two rectangles represent three of the most recognized structures ever built on US soil. The Twin Towers may be out of our sight, but never out of our minds.
• The circle around the pentagon represents the unity that occurred after the tragedy. Instead of fear and helplessness, Americans united, to comfort grieving hearts and restore shattered dreams.
• The GOD BLESS AMERICA slogan has been adopted to represent the hope and faith of our nation... a reminder to the world that evil may pierce our hearts, but God will permeate our souls.

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 Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,

Ecclesiastes 3:1

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