Lower Manhattan at Night (Credit: Adam Cathro)
The attacks on September 11th 2001 changed so much across America, and remain one of the most integral moments of the modern age.
When the Twin Towers fell and Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, nobody knew how to react. These events shook Americans to their core because generations had prepared for a nuclear war which would never come, but nobody prepared for such a devastating attack at home. Americans felt unsafe in their own backyards, toppled from the mighty peaks they had enjoyed since the end of World War II.
The United States had not been attacked on its own soil this way since December 7th, 1941, when the Empire of Japan launched a sneak attack on the American military bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii which would drag America into the Second World War. The last time America’s capital had been attacked by an outside military force was the War of 1812 when the White House was burned.
By the end of 1989, Communism across the Eastern Bloc had come crashing down, Germany was on the way to reunification, and the Soviet Union itself was a mere two years from its total collapse. The world breathed a gigantic sigh of relief. For the next ten years, Americans believed the global era of conflict was over, even as ethnic cleansing was going on in the former Yugoslavia, in many areas all over Africa, and Russia was bombing Chechnya. The Gulf War in 1991 to remove Saddam’s military from Kuwait was one of the inciting incidents for 9/11. American troops remained in Saudi Arabia to enforce the UN-mandated no-fly zones over Iraq, which was seen as an affront to Osama bin Laden, and one of several grievances he had with America which led to the attacks. The attacks on September 11th themselves were the result of decades of global events from various parties. Afterwards, the world united behind America, and the nation promptly squandered that goodwill through a series of decisions which were made of self-interest and fear rather than duty and respect. The biggest domestic result of these decisions were massive divides between Americans because of strong disagreements over how to prosecute the War on Terror and keep Americans safe. These divisions within America would be exploited by its enemies.
All of a sudden, violence was brought upon American shores, destroying American landmarks, and highlighting the shortcomings of American leadership. Decades and hundreds of billions of dollars attempting to find the best way to keep Americans safe was rendered useless by a swift, decisive, and well-executed attack that destroyed two New York City landmarks and gouged the face of the American military.
Shattered Skies
A more comprehensive overview of the day’s events is recounted in Part III of the series The Child of Two Shadows written for this website. That part is subtitled The Day The Sky Cracked Open. The following is a heavily truncated excerpt from the article.
September 11th was called “a clear-in-a-million” day. The conditions were extremely favorable, the weather was gorgeous. When news of a plane hitting the World Trade Center first broke, most people dismissed it as a mistake by a small prop plane or a small commuter plane. Most people questioned how a mistake could occur in such amazing conditions. Those who suspected it was deliberate were proven right when the second plane hit World Trade Center 2 shortly thereafter. The timeline of the day demonstrated the tight planning and superb execution Al Qaeda’s grand finale to their series of terror attacks against the United States.
The strategy involved four planes, hijacked around similar times, crashing into four targets. American Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower, WTC 1, at 8:46 AM, while United Airlines Flight 175 would follow into the South Tower at 9:03 AM.
The Twin Towers were built to withstand impacts from a Boeing 707, but the larger airliners which impacted it were not foreseen when they were designed in the 1960s. The structural damage by the impacts, and subsequent heat from the fires structurally compromised the towers at the impact points, and the mass of the building above the compromised section caused the upper section to collapse, which
weakened the steel to the point that the impacted floors could not support the weight of the building above the impact zone. The collapse of those sections generated enough force to overwhelm the supports below and collapse the building. It was a difficult confluence of events to foresee the method of attack, and almost impossible to plan for from an engineering perspective. The mass of the building above the impact zone on the South Tower was greater due to the lower impact zone. WTC 2 collapsed at 9:59 AM, and WTC 1 collapsed at 10:28 AM. More people survived above the impact zone on the South Tower because they elected to evacuate after the North Tower was hit. 2,606 people were killed by the collapse of both towers.
American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia at 9:37 AM. Luckily, the section of the Pentagon which was struck was undergoing construction at the time, meaning many offices were unoccupied, and only 184 innocent people in total were killed.
United Flight 93 was delayed due to runway congestion and only took off a few minutes before American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Thanks to this delay, information reached the passengers as they called down once their flight had been hijacked. The passengers on United 93 rose up against the hijackers and caused the plane to crash in a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 AM, instead of reaching its target. It remains unknown whether the target was the White House or the Capitol Building, but the passengers rose up and took the plane back. It also remains unknown whether or not the passengers took control back or the hijackers crashed the plane to avoid losing control of the aircraft. What is known is that action was taken by the brave passengers on board the flight, and that action saved lives on the ground at the cost of all 40 innocent souls on board.
New York City’s emergency responders were focused on Lower Manhattan. Plans had existed for every possible contingency after the 1993 bombing except something like this. Nobody had imagined planes would be utilized as weapons against two of the tallest buildings in the world. New York City firefighters rushed from all over the city even from being off duty to assist. 343 of them would perish. In addition, 23 New York Police Department officers, 37 Port Authority Police Department officers, one member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and one member of the United States Secret Service would also perish. The impacts caused difficulties for rescue efforts as elevator access and stairwell access were completely cut off above the impact zone on World Trade Center 1 due to structural damage, and only one staircase was accessible on World Trade Center 2. The impact zone on WTC 1 was between floors 93 and 99, while the WTC 2 impact zone was between floors 77 and 85. Both towers were 110 stories tall.
When American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower, President Bush was in Sarasota, Florida for an education initiative. At first hearing that a plane had struck the World Trade Center in New York, the President ordered his staff to get more information while he continued the event as planned. It was in the middle of reading to school children that United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower. Captured in a photograph which will forever live in the history books, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card walked over to the President and informed him that the second plane had hit the South Tower. Once done the reading, the President calmly exited the room and faced one of the most harrowing days ever faced by an American President.
When the attacks occurred, miscommunication was the name of the game. It wouldn’t be until hours later when a more complete picture would be provided to the American people. News broadcasters were unsung heroes of the day. CBS’ Dan Rather, NBC’s Tom Brokaw, and ABC’s Peter Jennings would all stay on the air for hours after the attack to inform and reassure the American people. It was through their professionalism and diligence that many Americans were given the facts, misinformation was dispelled as quickly as possible, and the country was reassured in a moment of unspeakable shock and horror. Journalism in America had some of its finest hours on one of the nation’s darkest days.
On the day itself, 2,977 innocent people perished at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash site of Flight 93. Hundreds of thousands more would perish in the ensuing wars. Al Qaeda’s leadership remained safe in their camp in Afghanistan some 6,700 miles away from the carnage and bloodshed. They would be the subject of NATO’s invasion of Afghanistan a scant month after the attacks, and light off the first of the forever wars which shaped American foreign policy in the 2000s and 2010s and still resonate today.
The Distasteful Truths
Reality is infinitely complex. World events and the actions of nations are not good or evil by nature. Every nation or political group acts in their own self-interest. Ascribing moral motivations to state or major non-state actors is foolish.
Al Qaeda’s goal was political in nature: the removal of US troops from Saudi Arabia and the end of American support for Israel. Some of the complaints Osama bin Laden outlined against America weren’t unreasonable. He was a devout Muslim who felt a responsibility to protect other Muslims. It inspired him to join the fight against the Soviets when they invaded Afghanistan in 1979. There were clearly some strong moral convictions at play. But it still doesn’t excuse flying airliners into buildings just to prove a political point. It doesn’t excuse warping and twisting a peaceful religion to justify and motivate such a barbaric act. It doesn’t excuse the ego of trying to bring the world crashing down in order to impose that twisted view of religion on the world at large.
Similarly, there’s no excuse for lying to the American people to justify the invasion of a country which had nothing to do with the greatest single attack against the United States. There is no excuse for prosecuting a war without reason for twenty years and leaving allies to get slaughtered for the simple reason that, “This war has gone on long enough.” There is no excuse on violating civil liberties at home, national sovereignty of allies abroad, and the status of the United States of America as a safeguard against tyranny across the world.
The legacy of September 11th is a river of blood that’s far too deep. Blood spilled for so many reasons, and none of them matter. Every drop of innocent blood spilled in Iraq and Afghanistan is just as much of a tragedy as every drop spilled in America in 9/11. The simple fact is that no civilians deserve to die for the actions of their leaders. Not one in a village baking bread which gets hit by a wrongly called artillery strike, not 2,977 by planes slamming into skyscrapers which burn and collapse on top of them.
The United States committed grievous mistakes and killed scores of innocents in the service of a nebulous “War on Terror” that was always impossible to win. The occupation of Afghanistan was executed in such a way that made it impossible to build a society that was acceptable to the people of Afghanistan, which led to a return of the Taliban twenty years after being removed from power. The invasion of Iraq was similarly destabilizing, all in the service of an incompetent president’s public image, driven by fear that Iraq would be the next sponsor of terrorism. When American leaders needed to be their coolest and react decisively and with strength in the proper ways, they panicked instead and lied to their constituents for months to justify an invasion which did more harm than good.
The biggest indicator of future failure was the American intervention in Afghanistan. America fought for every single inch of rocky ground in Afghanistan. America paid for every mile in the blood of sons and daughters so dedicated to our ideals that they were more than willing to fight for people who did not share them because they were so ordered. From an idealistic perspective, it’s incredibly inspiring. Idealism does not stop wars, build roadways, or send girls to school. Idealism alone does not build nations.
Attempting to form a government in America’s image against the will of the people of Afghanistan only created favorable conditions for armed insurgency which would last for two decades. And abandoning the people of Afghanistan by making a deal with their previous oppressors and pushing a hasty withdrawal that had no reason to be as chaotic as it was. By far, the biggest betrayal of the memory of those lost on 9/11 was the War in Iraq. America dedicated resources, personnel, and national attention towards a war against a country which had nothing to do with the attacks.
Along the way came massacres and poorly aimed drone strikes, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, racial profiling, ineffective security theater at the airports, an overwhelming violation of civil rights in the name of security and allowing hatred and fear to run the show across the nation. America’s leaders justified everything through complete lies. The American people did not hold their government accountable.
America lost the moral high ground after September 11th the moment President Bush said, “We are not there to nation build.” America lost the moral high ground the moment President Bush signed off on a disastrous invasion of Iraq that was conceived and executed without heeding the words of the experts, and justified to the American people and the world with outright lies concocted by craven warmongers. America lost the moral high ground when we ignored or hid our misconduct at home and around the world because prosecuting the Global War on Terror was too important to let the truth have its rightful place in the sun.
The most tragic part is that the dream of a kid from Afghanistan hopping a flight from Kabul to New York just as easily as a kid from America hopping a flight from New York to Kabul to share their worlds with each other is farther than it has never been farther from reality. The world is a large place, and life only gets better when people connect with one another across cultural divides.
The right to criticize leadership for their decisions is one which should belong to every citizen of every nation across the world. That isn’t to say that the will of the people will never be aggression or violence against others, this is an imperfect world. However, the right to openly criticize poor decisions and force governments to respond to that criticism is the only way the world can get better. When mistakes are made in response to massive events such as 9/11, it should be a call to action for everyone to avoid apathy. It should inspire the people to take part in the business of their nations. It should inspire every person to strive to create a place where everyone is welcomed, regardless of race or religion or creed or sexuality.
We remain the best protected when we remain strong, united, and put forth our efforts in service of lifting every voice both at home and abroad.
Look for the Helpers
Look for the Helpers
September 11th leaves a complicated legacy. Parts of the aftermath represent the worst of America’s decisions. The other part represents the best of America’s qualities. In any tragedy, searching for those who choose to help is the best way to exemplify the best nature of humanity.
The true heroes of 9/11 are the helpers. People who, in America’s darkest hour, stood up and ran into the gates of hell to help get other people out. Those who spent months shifting through the rubble to find people and clear the area to ensure that New York could rebuild. Those who gave all they could to help others in a time of need. Those who came from afar just to provide food or support to those sifting through the rubble. Those who changed the paths of their lives to serve and protect their country, regardless of where they were sent and why, they made a choice rooted in a feeling of love for their country, and the incredible loss which was suffered.
The Fire Department of New York are the first ones to come to mind when thinking about the sacrifices of September 11th. 343 New York City firefighters died on 9/11, more than the other first responder organizations by significant margins. Sadly, the number of firefighters who have died of 9/11-related illnesses has now surpassed that number, sitting at 370. The firefighters on that terrible day were the first ones on scene, and there wasn’t a firefighter in the city who didn’t suit up and charge in, even those who weren’t scheduled to be on duty that day. Battalion Chief Joseph Pfiefer was the first officer on the scene, having been with a team investigating a reported gas leak nearby. They were accompanied by Jules Naudet, a French documentarian who was working on a documentary on New York City firefighters with his brother, Gédéon. Jules would shoot the only footage inside the lobby of the towers during the attacks and was only one of three people to have shot footage of the first plane hitting the North Tower. Gédéon stayed at the firehouse until the rest of the team left a short time later, and both brothers continued chronicling the firemen until the entire crew regrouped at the fire house that evening. The footage the brothers shot that day would be used to create the documentary film entitled 9/11, which was one of the first documentaries produced about the attacks.
Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin were two Port Authority Police Officers trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center after the collapse. They were found alive by US Marines David Karnes and Jason Thomas, leading to their rescue. The efforts to rescue them were dramatized in the 2006 film World Trade Center.
With the bridges and tunnels closed, people needed ways to get away from Ground Zero. A flotilla of boats from tugboats to yachts ferried people across the East River and the Hudson. The inspiring evacuation from the disaster zone allowed people to return home. None of it would have been possible without the people of New York and New Jersey offering and volunteering to help out.
In fact, one of the most inspiring stories demonstrates the more international nature of positive responses to 9/11. Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador is a small town in Canada of about 11,000 people. They took in 38 airliners with a total of 6,595 people with 6,122 passengers and 473 crew members. Once American airspace was shut down, all incoming flights from abroad had to land elsewhere or turn back to their point of origin. Many of them landed in Canada and stayed at their landing points for several days before air travel resumed. Gander was one of many towns which took the people who came on international flights and took care of them. Gander was so remarkable because it was so small, and the flights almost doubled the town’s population.
The shock of the attacks led to people standing behind the President. People traveled from all over the nation to volunteer at Ground Zero in rescue and recovery efforts. Even if it was just to help feed and bring water to the rescue workers, the nation focused its eyes on lower Manhattan and sent New York City its love. The crowd cheered when George Bush threw the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in October 2001. There arose a sense of national unity in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. It would not last.
The world, enemies, allies, and friends alike, came together with support for America in the wake of the attacks. That goodwill would be squandered by America through its actions in the aftermath. However, it proves that moments of great tragedies can bring people together and affirms the responsibility to use the gift of open communications and good spirits to bridge gaps which might have previously seemed insurmountable.
The Legacy of September 11th
September 11th is a difficult day, with a messy, and complicated legacy. September 11th should be remembered as an example of America at its best and an admonishment to do better.
Today, on the 23rd anniversary of the attacks, the memorial services at Ground Zero in New York City are championed by the next generation. The families of the victims read off the names of the fallen, many of whom have never met those they lost. These are the victims inscribed on the memorial pools at Ground Zero. The victims who will always be remembered.
It is important to remember those lost from the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93 who took it upon themselves to sacrifice themselves to save the lives of others. It is important to remember every single first responder who, without a thought to their own safety, charged the gates of hell without knowing if they would make it back out because there were other people who needed to make it out as well. It is important to remember those who sifted through the rubble, that took on illnesses and pain and suffering for years simply because they could not fathom doing otherwise.
It is also important to honor the forgotten victims of 9/11 as well. The families in Iraq who had their worlds shattered by artillery strikes and street fighting against insurgents. The girls in Afghanistan who grew up allowed to live as normal people with hopes and dreams and reasons to smile and laugh only to have it all ripped away. The soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who signed their lives over to keep their country safe, going overseas believing they were fighting for a better tomorrow only for their lives to be snuffed out without ceremony. The families who had to stand over caskets draped in American flags of those whose deaths accomplished nothing.
George Bush, who was the sitting President on 9/11, spoke of all of those who gave their lives on that day on the twentieth anniversary at a speech near the United Airlines Flight 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In that speech, he asked, “Are we worthy of their sacrifice?”
It’s a goal which will take everything we have.
Ark of the Lost Angels 
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