The September 11 attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,996 people, including the 19 hijackers and 2,977 victims. The victims included 246 on the four planes, 2,606 in New York City in the World Trade Center towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon. Nearly all of the victims were civilians. 55 military personnel were among those killed at the Pentagon. One was an employee of my company.
Make a few minutes today to remember those lost directly, and as a result of the subsequent actions. Thousands more Americans were killed in Afghanistan to attack the perpetrators of this criminal act.
Make a few more minutes to think about how our country has eroded some of it’s citizens’ civil liberties as a response to the threats, real or perceived, that may come. The NSA spying scandal, the TSA procedures at the airport, the militarization of our police forces, any many other negatives have spilled into America culture as a result of those September 11 attacks.
Good reminder of the importance of reflection on these events and how they have changed society. I heard that there were thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands who would have been in the World Trade Center that morning, but their plans had changed. I am blessed to be one of those people. For me, today is the12th anniversary of the reminder that, each day is a gift from God. How will we spend it? That’s up to us, isn’t it. Let’s resolve to make the most of it!
Neil – Thanks for sharing.
I was in my office in Boston’s Financial District on the morning of September 11.
My assistant came in my office and told there was an accident at the World Trade Center and was trying to go to internet to find out more information. Apparently everyone was trying to do the same thing. The internet connection could not handle the web traffic as everyone was trying to find out what was happening.
The firm turned on the television news in the conference center to let everyone know what was going in. Many flocked in to see the live coverage on the big glowing television screens.
We stared in shock and disbelief at the towers in flame. Then the Pentagon explosion was announced, but nobody was sure what caused it. The coverage caught that two separate planes had crashed into the two towers surfaced. This was no accident.
Then the first tower came down.
Nobody expected the entire building to fail. Nobody expected any of this to happen. Fear was in the room.
Then the room emptied as an alarm sounded.
My building issued an evacuation alert, as did most of the big towers in the financial district. There was a crush of traffic on the streets and the subways as nearly everyone was fleeing the financial district. People wanted to escape the perceived threat and retreat to the comfort of their homes to deal with the tragedy.
I had biked for morning commute so I was able quickly get home. My wife was stuck waiting for the subway and ended up walking most of the way home.
We stayed glued to the coverage all day, trying to get in touch with our friends who worked in lower Manhattan to make sure they were safe.
My office at the time had a view of Logan Airport. It was an uneasy sight as air traffic was halted the next day. Overhead flights over the city made look up with trepidation for days.