1- Foster Ashley Foster Professor Larry Huff English 1301 September 17, 2011 September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001 was the day al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger planes turning ordinary planes into guided missiles. He had planned to crash them into the twin World Trade Centers, the White House, and the Pentagon. He successfully crashed two planes into both the World Trade Centers in New York City at 8:45 a.m. The photo shows the north tower just a mere second before it gets attacked by a plane acting as a missile. The impact of the aircraft on the south tower left a burning hole close to the eightieth floor instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more on higher floors of the building. The al-Qaeda terrorists then crashed another plane into the west side of the Pentagon the military headquarters at 9:40 a.m. causing the building to catch fire and then soon collapse a part of the building. The plane headed towards the White House crashed into a field in Pennsylvania because passengers tried to regain control over the plane; although they were not successful they did save the plane from crashing into the White House. September 11, 2001 often called 9/11 forever changed the lives of Americans, they were stunned in the aftermath of disbelief. America was under attack.

The Twin Towers where up to fifty thousand people worked each day collapsed to the ground less than ninety minutes after the attacks. Less than fifteen minutes after the terrorists hit the center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York only got worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center which stood for fifty-six minutes after impact then collapsed in a cloud of smoke, while viewed by a vast television and radio audience. Only ten minutes after the south

2- Foster Ashley Foster Professor Larry Huff English 1301 September 17, 2011 tower collapsed, after the north tower collapsed as well. The north tower which stood for one hundred and two minutes after impact eventually collapses as if it was peeled apart, from the top down. Both skyscrapers built to withstand large fires and winds up to two hundred miles an hour could not hold up against the heat generated by the burning jet fuel. Close to two thousand and five hundred people died in the World Trade Center, including three hundred and fortyfive firefighters and paramedics and twenty-three New York City police officers. There were only six people who came out of either of the World Trade Centers alive.

The fourth aircraft was supposedly headed for the White House had been delayed in taking off, which then caused the passengers on board learned of the events of the World Trade Centers in New York, and of the Pentagon in Washington DC. The hijackers claimed to the passengers about the flight not returning to an airport so a group of passengers and flight attendants created a revolt to try to regain control over the flight. As the passengers fought the four hijackers the plane flipped over and sped towards the ground in a rural field in Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All passengers aboard were killed.

At seven p.m. September 11, 2001 President George W. Bush who had been shuttled around the country all day because of security concerns, finally returned to the White House. Just a few hours later he conveyed a televised address from the Oval Office, confirming 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

3- Foster Ashley Foster Professor Larry Huff English 1301 September 17, 2011 resolve. America did not declare war on either of the Middle Eastern countries until March 19, 2003 when President Bush said Every effort would be made to spare the lives of innocent civilians, - But the campaign will be "broad and concerted" and will use "decisive force."- No outcome but victory will be accepted, - America's freedom will be defended, and freedom will be brought to others. America then faces an enemy who has no concern for war rules of morality. Saddam Hussein placed Iraqi troops and equipment in civilian areas in attempt to use innocent women, men and children for a shield of his own military; a final abomination against his people. We went to Iraq with a respect for their citizens, the religion they practice and for their civilization. We wanted to remove the threat and restore the power of Iraq to the citizens of the country. President George W. Bush said We will meet threat now with our Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines, so we do not have to meet it later with armies of firefighters and police and doctors on the streets of our cities. Now conflict has come, the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks, remained at large until May 2, 2011 when Americas forces finally tracked him down and killed him at a hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In June 2011, President Barack Obama announced the beginning of troop withdrawals from Afghanistan with a finally withdrawal of all American troops by 2014.