Let's go back 7 years ago. The September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Islamic extremists belonging to the al-Qaeda movement upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. They intentionally crashed two of the airliners (American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175) into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the building, causing both buildings to collapse within two hours, destroying at least two nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner (American Airlines Flight 77) into the Pentagon. The fourth plane (United Airlines Flight 93) crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Its intended target was the U.S. Capitol building-it never made it. Some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C.
As a result, the United States responded to the attacks by declaring a War on Terrorism, launching an invasion of Afghanistan to depose the Taliban. As a result of the attack, the stock exchanges closed for almost a week, and posted enormous losses upon reopening, especially in the airline and insurance industries. The economy of Lower Manhattan ground to a halt, as billions of dollars in office space was damaged or destroyed.
The damage to the Pentagon was cleared and repaired within a year, and a small memorial was built on the site. Rebuilding the World Trade Center site has proven more difficult, with controversy over possible designs as well as the pace of construction. Construction delays, revised cost estimates, security concerns, and public criticism have all lead to significant changes and delays to the final plans in rebuilding the complex.
I was working at 575 Lexington Avenue (51st Street) at the time. I had just come up out of the subway (6 train) and went upstairs. Everyone was huddled by the TV. I knew something was wrong. People were crying, making phone calls, staring at the TV in shock and disbelief. As soon as we knew the full impact of what had happened we couldn't wait to leave and go home. It was bad enough when the planes struck the tower, but I don't think anyone was prepared for the collapse of the buildings. That's when pandemonium set in. People were all over the place. Scared to take the train, I along with a lot of others, walked up Lexington Avenue. I walked from 51st Street to 125th Street. People found camaraderie with one another and discussed the horror that had just taken place. This is one of the only times I can remember where everyone helped one another with updating each other with information, borrowing cell phones, sharing cabs, helping one another on the bus, etc.
Panic had set in; you could feel it from every angle. Everyone had a common goal and this horrific, vicious act had brought the city of New York together, if only for a little while. I don't remember how long it took to get home, but when I finally did, I made sure everyone was okay and had my son with me for the rest of the day. He was 2 years old and oblivious as to what was going on around us. The rest of the week my job was closed. Stores were packed with people buying food, water, supplies. Everyone was preparing for the worst and stocked up on any and everything. Television shows were pre-empted in order to run continuous coverage and the latest updates of the day's events. When I heard the Twin Towers were destroyed, it left a lump in my throat. I used to work for First Boston in high school. My first 'corporate' job. It was in 5 WTC, that building was now no more. Seeing the second plane fly directly into the tower was bad enough, but I think the most disturbing image that will stay with me for the rest of my life is seeing people jump to their deaths to escape the fiery blaze they were faced with. I can't imagine having to make that decision: Do I stay trapped in this building with and burn to death or do I take my own life by jumping to my death to escape the intense heat and fire. I was haunted by those images for days.
What were you doing on 9.11.01?
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