911 Memorial

911 Memorial

On September 11, 2001, four airliners carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in death and destruction, triggering combat against terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.

The event occurred Tuesday morning; families possibly already at school, work, or even at home thinking it was another ordinary day in America. Airline 767 was loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel and crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. 18 minutes later airline 175 flew over New York, turned sharply toward the second twin tower. Airline 77 soon crashed itself into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters. The last airline, flight 93, was known to have attacked the attacked the hijackers in the cockpit, sending the plane to spin rapidly and crash in Pennsylvania in an open field.

I don’t remember the day exactly, just stories about it as I grew up, I knew it had happened but never thought much of it. I didn’t know how serious it was until middle school. It did of course affect me because when I was young I thought the safest place was my home, or an area full of people. When the incident occurred, my whole mind and thoughts change and I was never the same again.