Zack Sorensen

American Civ.
9/11

On Tuesday September 11, 2001, early morning devastation was brought

upon the New York City citizens as 1 of 4 hijacked planes flew into the North
tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46. Hijacker Mohammad Atta flew the
airplane straight into floors 93-99. Instantly killing more than 100 people and
leaving 100 plus citizens trapped above the gaping hole where the airplane had
struck. 20 minutes after the first plane had hit, a second plane hit the south tower
at 9:03 am striking floors 75-85. News broadcasters and film crews rushed the
scene, thinking it was a freak accident. An interview with a 22-year-old man
that worked in the south building shared his fear stating, Within 30 seconds, the
second plane hit the South Tower, as we all saw on TV, and all I could remember
was that it was a huge jolt, a violent collision. The stairwells cracked and we knew
that something terrible had happened. The south tower of the World Trade Center
collapsed completely, in a massive cloud of dust and smoke, covering the city in
debris. The building that was supposed to be able to withstand winds up to 200
miles per hour couldnt handle the heat generated from the burning fuel from the
airliner, causing the skyscraper to fall to the ground. Less than 15 minutes after the
terrorists struck the Twin Towers. At 9:39 before either of the towers collapsed.
The main center of the U.S. military Pentagon had been hit by flight 77.

Eyewhitnesses said that when the plane made contact with the Pentagon it entered
very easily and disappeared in clouds of smoke. The horror in America had took a
dramatic turn for the worse.
The people of New York finally realized that it wasnt just an accident, but
a terrorist attack led by Osama Bin Ladens al-Qaeda terrorist organization. There
were 19 known men that were a part of al-Qaeda Terrorist organization. Out of
those 19 men, only a few were actually recorded to be U.S. citizens and had taken
flying lessons. They were acting in part of America's support for Israel, for the
actions taken place for the Persian Gulf War and its military purposes. Some of the
terrorists had slipped into the country months before September 11th and acted as
the structure in the operation for the others.
A U.S. investigator said that the terrorists had come into the United States
through South America by the El Salvadorian gang, but it was never fully proven.
The 19 terrorists chose the planes because they were loaded with fuel for the long
journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists took control of the four planes and
transformed the jets into guided missiles, which would soon result in these terrible
events.
As New Yorkers are trying to grasp what had happened, Flight 77 circled
downtown Washington, D.C. and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon. All
the jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a dramatic fire, forcing the giant concrete
building to collapse. After the tragic accident of the Pentagon, it was told that 125

military personnel and civilians were killed, along with all 64 people that were on
the airline.
As for the fourth plane that was later hijacked, United Flight 93 passengers
learned about the attacks through texts messages and air phone calls to the ground,
leaving them to question what was going on with their flight. Soon enough, the
civilians would realize that they too were wrapped up in a long nightmare.
Knowing that the plane wasnt going to make it to its scheduled destination, one of
the passengers, Thomas Burnett, called his wife just a few minutes before,
explaining that he and a few other men had planned to rush the cockpit where the
terrorists had taken over. The four passengers, along with the flight attendant,
attacked the cockpit with boiling water and a fire extinguisher, causing the airliner
to flip and crash into Pennsylvania farmland, at 500 miles per hour, killing all 45
passengers. Although the target where the plane was going to crash was unknown,
there are theories that it was going to crash into the White House, the U.S. Capitol,
the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, or one of many nuclear power
plants along the eastern coast.
The day after 9/11, the entire United States was in shock. Family members
lost loved ones, co-workers lost bosses, firefighters were killed. There was still
multiple missing people buried under all the debris. It was sad to say the most
famous buildings in New York, were in ashes.

September 11, 2001 was the deadliest day in history for New York City.
The streets filled with 1,506,124 tons of debris, making it almost impossible to see
2 feet ahead of you. It was a sorrowful day in New York finding 1,402 people dead
in Tower 1, 614 dead in Tower 2, and 343 firefighters dead, not to mention 11
unborn babies. The days events left a staggering number of 2,753 dead after clean
up. It also took a little over a 100 days to put out all the fires from that day.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten by anyone, including
the members of al-Qaeda, as they looked at the attacks as a victory. The United
States of America will never live down what had happened on that long afternoon
as tragedy struck, leaving the world speechless. America may have had a big loss,
but President Bush didnt let the attack take over the United States. The President
assured the U.S. citizens that this act of terrorism would not happen again. With
new and improved security features in all airports, borders and more, Bush
ensured the citizens safety, made the country nearly impossible to penetrate, and
sought to foil all future 9/11 type attacks. Although costly, and seen as an attack on
the privacy of the U.S people, security measures were forever changed.
American citizens were in awe and disbelief on what had happened. U.S.
president George Bush aired a televised showing saying, "Terrorist attacks can
shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the
foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of
American resolve. In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response, we will

make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those
who harbor them." This broadcast by Bush put the U.S. in silence, giving the
people a sense of safety knowing that President Bush wasnt taking the situation
lightly. After everything that happen with the twin towers, a building called
Ground Zero was built in remembrance of the deaths of 9/11. The name Ground
Zero came from an atomic bomb that exploded over Hiroshima in 1945. Now
September 11 will always be remembered as Patriot Day. It seems like most
people will always remember what they were doing in that exact moment. That
will never be forgotten.

Sources:
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/911-we-remember-howterrorism-changed-us/2011/sep/9/91111-my-interview-911-survivor/
http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks
http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks
http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/1year/numbers.htm