This morning started out like none other. We usually start with some news and were curious what outfall came from the weekend events. We figured the 9-11 coverage may not be the main story. But, I guess it depends on where you get your news.
The
story in Breitbart :
"9/11: A Visual History" looked of interest, given the image composite. I had looked for a few good images to use here with this announcement and the News Corner.
What happened as I entered their "Visual History" swept over me like I hadn't expected. From new grief and sadness to remembered disbelief and fear as the story of that day unfolded. We are only 90 minutes south of DC. Many friends and family lived and worked in DC or close. The Navy base here was let out and it was a major traffic jam. The phone lines were jammed, too. What WAS happening?
Like most people, some of the story I heard first hand day of. Some I heard later over the next few days. Some a few years later as they were made public. Some I had never heard or seen. And a few of the stories still go unanswered. And all new emotions and some of them recalled again.
After a few of the "before" images of the NY skyline, I figured I needed to read a little. That reading included:
"Betty Ong, 45, a flight attendant aboard American Airlines Flight 11, was the first person to notify authorities that a plane had been hijacked and that two of her colleagues and a first class passenger had been stabbed."
“We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low. Oh my God, we are flying way too low.”
Her last words said over and over again, “Pray for us. Pray for us.”
What follows is an 8 minute recording of that phone call, leading right up to the moment of impact.
Following that was a video captured the moment of impact when the hijackers flew into the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46am. These were the first images that the news had of the burning North Tower, including a video showing the first five minutes of cable news coverage.
Throughout this History, there were 911 calls, and calls to family members. The anguish. I felt terribly sad to read and especially to hear.
Still thinking it was a tragic airline accident, at 9:03, "the world watched in horror as hijackers flew the second plane (United Airlines Flight 175) into the South Tower."
That second plane removed any doubt that this was a terror attack, not pilot error. America was indeed at war. Because news crews were on the scene, we had coverage of the moment of the second strike.
"At 9:37am, the Islamic hijackers on board American Airlines Flight 77 crashed it into the Pentagon. The war had now reached the nation’s capital." Some of these images we had seen before but not the close-ups and the scale of the destruction. In those days, 22 years ago, I wonder if they wanted to shield the public from such awful carnage -- to gruesome to show.
So many unknowns. HOW can his be happening? WHO is doing this? WHAT is the issue here?
In less than an hour (9:45am), the FAA shut down US airspace -- the first time in history. No civilian flights were allowed to take off, and all aircraft in the air were ordered to land immediately at the nearest airport.
Ten minutes later, the South Tower of the World Trade Center began to collapse. These were images we had seen as the news unfolded. The 9-11 History had images and video of this we hadn't seen before.
Then there was Flight 93.
As the article states: "Were it not for the heroism of the passengers onboard who stormed the cockpit, the Islamic hijackers would have crashed the plane into either the U.S. Capitol dome or the White House."
"Beamer recited the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm with a telephone operator, which prompted others on the plane to say the words with him. He then turned to his fellow passengers and said, 'Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.' ”
At 10:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We didn't no much of the story then. More is covered since, including in this History.
Far from done with this attack on America, less than a half hour later, the news showed "the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, sending thousands of survivors fleeing from the smoke and debris engulfing Lower Manhattan in the wake of its destruction."
The dust hadn't settled. Far from it.
More video and images of President Bush addressing the Nation from the Oval office: “Today, our nation saw evil – the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America.”
A new emotion ignited. "The best of America" and we did see that, and there are many images showing that. But we know there were many more than can possibly be shown. Images of people coming together to pray, giving blood in masse, and then such a feeling of empathy and sympathy as images of people searching for their loved ones - men, women and children. Flyers posted at Ground Zero. A real sadness brought a pain in my gut to see this pain.
The images include the "next day" where military and first responders unfurled a large American flag on the roof of the Pentagon over the crash site. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a makeshift altar was assembled near the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93. A flag was raised over the rubble at Ground Zero. And more images showing the Nation coming together in prayer.
President Bush issued a proclamation calling for a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance on Friday, September 14, 2001. “I ask that the people of the United States and places of worship mark this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance with noontime memorial services, the ringing of bells at that hour, and evening candlelight remembrance vigils.”
The 9-11 History continued with images of the weeks that followed -- "we buried our dead." Among the heroes mourned were the 23 New York Police Department officers who died in the line of duty on 9/11 and the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives trying to rescue people from the burning towers. Burials continued for a long, long time. People continued to die from the attack, and still are.
An image of rescue and construction workers gathering around Father Brian Jordan who blessed the cross of steel beams found amidst the rubble of the WTC.
The History moved to the "other" responses. "The America people wanted swift justice. What followed was 20 years of wars."
On September 20, President Bush declared that the United States was engaged in an open-ended “war on terror.” The story goes on to say that, "In time, the United Stated did capture the men who were directly responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Nearly two years after the attacks, the 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed – who planned and organized the attacks – was captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003. Ten years after the attacks, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was brought to justice. On May 2, 2011, President Obama announced that he was killed by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs."
The story shifts to the "war on terror" ... a "war" that has us on watch to this very day.
Over the years, the country rebuilt, the memorials arose, and each year we remembered.
The last images show some great scenes from various Days of Remembrance over the years.
"More than 500 Marines and Sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS Belleau Wood commemorate the one-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks on September 6, 2002, by spelling out the now famous quote from Todd Beamer on the flight deck of the ship. Beamer was one of the passengers on United Flight 93, which crashed in a western Pennsylvania field after he and several other passengers attempted to regain control of the plane from terrorist hijackers." "9-11 Let's Roll"
But, to wrap this up for me, the
American Center for Law and Justice ended their program today, with an image and audio clip from George Bush, at Ground Zero, with a megaphone, standing on top of a pile of rubble. "America today is on bended knee ... the Nation stands ... I CAN HEAR YOU." The crowd cheers. They needed to cheer. "The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down, will hear from all of us soon."
Remembering ....
