Download Ima Student Josie Tierney-Fife English 9 Advanced 22 March, 2010

Ima Student
Josie Tierney-Fife
English 9 Advanced
22 March, 2010
9/11: More Than Just a Memory
Even though I was only six years old, I still remember September 11th, 2001 vividly. It was a
day of great fear, anger, and sadness not only for me, but for all of America. I doubt any of us will
forget that day, nor the thousands of innocent lives that were lost.
September 11th, 2001: looking back on it, I realized how little I knew about what happened,
even though I was alive to see the events of that day unfold on my very own television screen. I could
see the towers falling and see the thousands of people running through the streets of New York City, but
I didn't know what they were feeling. They were literally running from death, while others just blocks
away couldn't run fast enough. It wasn't until I was older that I began to really understand what had
happened, and really began to feel the sadness and anger for the events of September 11th.
This is why I chose 9/11 as the subject of my paper; I want to learn how something so
devastating could happen to our country, and why we were the target of such cowardly attacks. I feel
like the only way I can learn about that fateful day is by learning all of the details. I need to step into
the shoes of a person on that day, so that I can begin to understand what it was like to live through the
disaster. I want to know how our country, and even the rest of the world, responded to the attacks, and
what was done to minimize the risk of future terrorism on American soil.
At the start of this project, my knowledge of the events of that day was limited. All I really
understood was that four planes were hijacked by suicide attackers, thought to be members of alQaeda, a known terrorist group. Two of these planes were flown into the Twin Towers in New York
City, killing thousands. Another plane was flown into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, while
another crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. I didn't know how this could have happened, or even why
people would even dream of killing thousands of innocent people.
9/11 is an area of interest for me not only because I know so little about it, but because of the
fact that I was alive to see it happen. I feel like I should know more about what occurred, as it was a
major event in our nation's history. It has changed all of our lives forever, even if we don't realize it. For
these reasons, I am looking forward to the challenge that writing the I-Search will undoubtedly bring,
as well as finally being able to better understand the events of one of the most devastating days in our
nation's history.
Ima Student
Josie Tierney-Fife
English 9 Advanced
22 March, 2010
From Research to Writing: My Journey
When I learned that we were going to do an I-Search project at the beginning of the year, I had
no idea what I wanted to do. Possible topics floated in and out of my mind, but none of them seemed
interesting enough for me to choose. I needed to find something that I really found thought-provoking,
and would be able to devote almost two months to researching that topic without losing interest.
However, much to my dismay, nothing came to mind. As the months came and went, I became
increasingly worried about what I would choose when the time came to begin the project, as I realized
just how important this paper would be.
Finally, it was the week before we began writing, and I had yet to find that perfect topic. I
decided I would do a major event or person in history; I have always loved learning about the past, and
figured that researching a historical event would definitely keep my interest. I began to think about all
of the major events and people in history that I could possibly research: Columbus, the Revolutionary
War, Ancient Greece. Still, nothing sparked my interest. Then I remembered; that day nine years ago
that changed America forever. Until that point, I had never realized that 9/11 could be considered
history, as we are still feeling it's lasting effects today. It was an event that I was alive to see, even if I
can no longer remember the details. To me, it was the perfect topic. So, with my confidence soaring, I
began the journey of creating my I-Search.
My research into the events of 9/11 began with a great deal of frustration. As hard as I looked, I
could not find a good online resource. This certainly surprised me, as I believed that 9/11 would be an
easy topic to find good information on, especially since it was such a large event in our nation's history.
What shocked me even more, however, was not the sheer lack of information, but that the information I
did find was extremely biased. It seemed as if every website I found wanted to spread the notion that
the events of 9/11 were an inside job; that, somehow, the government was responsible for the thousands
of deaths on that day. I was stunned and very angered that American citizens could believe such
nonsense, and think that our very own government could possibly plan the deaths of it's own citizens.
Despite my anger, these disappointing sources did not slow me down. If anything, they made me want
to learn even more; I knew the truth was out there somewhere, but would just take a little extra digging
to find.
Slowly but surely, I began to compile a list of reputable sources. I searched through every online
database and search engine imaginable in order to find them, but soon realized all of this extra effort
was worth it. I began to put together a great deal of information, and could finally let out a sigh of relief
after the rough first week. These feelings of comfort soon faded when I had to turn to the task of
finding someone to interview. Even though every adult was alive on September 11th, 2001, I wanted to
find someone who had a closer connection the that day then just what they saw on T.V. I didn't know
anyone who was in the World Trade Center that day, nor anyone who was even in New York. I began to
worry, but my answer soon came to me.
I was sharing my problem with a friend who was in a different English class, and who also
happened to be doing 9/11 as a topic for her I-Search. She told me how her teacher, Mr. Werner, used to
live in New York, and was there on the day of the attacks. She said she was planning to interview him,
and asked if I wanted to, as well. I was very excited, and the next day I went and set up an appointment
for an interview. The date was set for that next week, so I began to prepare.
With the interview appointment came another problem; I had no ideas for questions to ask. 9/11
is a very serious, emotional topic, and I didn't know how I would approach it in an interview. However,
possible questions slowly began to come to mind, but I still went into the interview day rather
nervously. Thankfully, however, Mr. Werner proved to be a wonderful interviewee, and answered
almost all of my questions before I even asked them. His knowledge and experience about 9/11 would
prove to be very useful, and I felt very optimistic about the great deal of writing ahead of me.
The next step in the process was finishing my notecards. Even though I had found some good
sources, I still felt there was a large gap in my information; I had plenty of facts about what happened,
but not enough on who was behind it. So the search began for another source, which I certainly wasn't
looking forward to. I quickly gave up on trying to find it online, and instead turned to the library. I had
looked on the internet for books about 9/11, and narrowed the list of possible choices down to just a
few. I went to the library, not expecting to find any of the books on the shelf. However, I was very
lucky to find the perfect book there. Called Perfect Soldiers, it was all about the people behind 9/11,
which was exactly the sort of information that I was missing. The book was packed full of information,
from the hijackers private lives to the planning of the 9/11 attacks, and proved to be an immensely
valuable resource.
As I began to gather more and more resources and information, I was extremely thankful for
my notecards. As I began to finish them up, however, I was shocked to see just how many I had. I had
over 75, each filled with information! How could all of this information possibly be put together into
one organized paper? It was then that I began to truly panic for the first time. Just a few days later, we
began writing Part 3 if the I-Search: the heart (and lengthiest part) of the paper. I was surprised, and
greatly relieved, to see how easily the notecards flowed together to create Part 3.
However, despite the large amounts of information I had compiled, I was still missing some
information about the history of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. With the deadline looming
in the near future, I was not very confident that I would find what I was looking for in the short amount
of time I had left to write. However, I was lucky to be able to find two great websites that had exactly
what I was looking for. Finally, I could turn my attention to revising the paper I had spent so much time
and effort creating. I feel very proud about all of the work I put into it. Despite my original worries, I
was able to create an informative, quality piece of writing that I am proud to call my own.
Ima Student
Josie Tierney-Fife
English 9 Advanced
22 March 2010
September 11th, 2001: The Day That Changed the World
If you can remember the morning of September 11th, 2001, you will most likely never forget
the horrific images shown on nearly every television channel, nor the thousands of lives that were taken
in the blink of an eye. You will never forget that strange mixture of sadness, confusion, anger, and fear
that enveloped the country, uniting it's people in a way that had never been achieved before, or even
since. Even if only for a day, the United States of America was just that: united. People on the streets
stopped to see of others were okay, while some risked their lives the save others. Beneath all of this
unity and caring, however, there was a much more “evil” presence; someone was responsible for this
atrocity, and that someone was the radical terrorist group al-Qaeda. This massive loss of life was part of
a complex plan, aimed at killing as many Americans as possible in one shot . How they could possibly
watch as their dastardly plan went into action is beyond comprehension. However, it is important for us
as a country to understand exactly what happened on that fateful day, and who was behind the
unthinkable acts. As the events of September 11th 2001 retreat into the memories of the old while the
young make their way into the world, it is important for us to remember: to never forget the thousands
of innocent lives that were taken on the morning of September 11th.
PREVIOUS ATTACKS
September 11th, 2001 did not mark the beginning of terrorist attacks against the United
States. In fact, there were several warnings about what was to come. As stated in the 9/11
Commission's Executive Summary: “Islamist extremists had given plenty of warning that they meant to
kill Americans indiscriminately and in large numbers.” al-Qaeda even sent warnings months before that
“something very, very, very big” was coming to the Americans. However, the CIA was focusing it's
attention on possible attacks on American allies overseas, rather than looking on their own shores.
Unfortunately, all of these red flags for a possible attack on American soil were not acknowledged until
too late (United States).
Osama Bin Laden was born in 1957, son of the wealthy road builder Muhammed Bin Laden.
Muhammed died in a flying accident while his son was still a child, leaving him with a large portion of
his estate: estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars. When he grew older, Osama Bin Laden
studied economics and engineering, hoping to take over the family business. However, Bin Laden, a
particularly devout Muslim, decided to take action when Soviets entered Afghanistan (McDermott 99100). The Soviets invaded in order to aid the Marxist government of their close partner Afghanistan,
which had for years been under attack from the Afghan mujahideen, or fundamentalist guerilla fighters.
Bin Laden supported these rebels, and joined forces with other individuals to create the Office of
Services, an organization that helped Arab volunteers make their way to Afghanistan to join the fight
(McDermott 99-100). He later took over the operation, and declared himself the official leader of the
mujahideen resistance. After the defeat of the Soviets in the late 1980's, Bin Laden began to develop
another jihad organization, or holy war campaign, which he called al-Qaeda, or “The Base”. From then
on, his new organization became the leader in world terrorism, creating their own plots and aiding
others in an attempt to win what they believed to be a holy war against the United States (McDermott
126).
Bin Laden, who began to rapidly gain support, promised his fellow Muslims that he would
bring honor to those who were “victims of successive foreign masters.” In order to do this, Bin Laden
began to recruit, train, and deploy soldiers to fight, using money donated from his many supporters. He
even made an alliance with the Taliban: a fundamentalist militia that promised to provide shelter and
protection for Bin Laden and his followers.
On February 26, 1993, the World Trade Center in New York City was attacked by a small group
of terrorists, linked to local radical mosques within the city, as well as al-Qaeda. On that day, Ramzi
Yousef, a relative of a major contributor to the al-Qaeda organization, was the mastermind of the
attacks. 1,500 pounds worth of explosives were sent to an underground parking lot beneath the North
Tower of the World Trade Center in a large rental van. The massive bomb was detonated at 12:18PM,
when the Tower was at near capacity. Six people were killed by the blast, and thousands more injured
(National). The bomb, which is estimated to have cost Yousef around $3000, caused over $300 million
in damage (McDermott 133). It destroyed the buildings emergency systems, leaving people stranded
inside the smoke filled tower (National).
Yousef disappeared after the attacks, but before he left he delivered a letter to five different
publishing organizations, including the New York Times. In the letter, he spoke on behalf of his radical
allies, demanding that the U.S “ Stop all military, economical, and political aid to Israel,” along with no
longer interfering in the Middle East (McDermott 133). He stated:
If our demands are not met, all of our functional groups in the army will continue to execute
our missions against the military and civilian targets in and out of the United States. For your
information, our army has more than hundred and fifty [sic] suicidal soldiers ready to go ahead.
The terrorism that Israel practices (Which is supported by America) must be faced with a
similar one (qtd. in McDermott 133-134).
Another plot to destroy major landmarks in New York City was planned by Omar Abdel
Rahman. Rahman was the spiritual leader of local radical muslims, and was known as “one of the chief
theoreticians of modern Islamist movements around the globe” (McDermott 132). Rahman's plan,
which involved blowing up the Holland and Lincoln tunnels of the city, was quickly noticed by
authorities, leading to a swift arrest (United States).
Later that same year in October 1993, two U.S Black Hawk helicopters were shot down by
Somalian tribesmen over their capital, Mogadishu. 18 U.S soldiers were killed, and 73 were injured. It
was later discovered that these attacks were funded by none other than al-Qaeda (United States).
Ramzi Yousef, mastermind behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, had yet another idea
for the perfect revenge against the United States. His uncle, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was
“impressed” by his nephews 1993 attack, was also a part of this new plan. Together, they devised a
strategy that would involve U.S airliners, hoping to blow up dozens of aircraft at once in the skies.
Yousef operated from Manila, Philippines, creating a network of al-Qaeda operatives to carry out his
plan. He experimented with different explosive devices in his apartment, fabricating what he believed
to be the perfect device to smuggle onto an aircraft. His plan was to send five men, each bringing
explosives onto a plane and assembling and depositing them in the plane's lavatories. They would then
exit the planes at the next airport, detonating the bombs by remote as the planes (carrying a majority of
American passengers) made their way across the Pacific. However, police in Manila were able to
uncover the plot before it could be put into action, arresting many of the al-Qaeda operatives involved.
Yousef was able to escape, but a worldwide search quickly followed. Within months, Yousef was
tracked down and arrested in February 1995 (McDermott 144-154).
If you think the list of early al-Qaeda threats couldn't possibly get any longer, it does. On
August 7, 1998, two trucks filled with explosives made their way into the U.S embassies in Nairobi,
Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Driven by al-Qaeda operatives, the bombs exploded within the
compounds, killing 224 people, including 12 Americans. Thousands were injured (McDermott 177).
For the first time, the eyes of the United States were focused on al-Qaeda. Even Osama Bin
Laden, the suspected man behind the later 9/11 attacks, was under the spotlight. Up until this point, he
was only believed to be “financier of terrorism, not a terrorist leader.” However, in February 1998, Bin
Laden had issued a fatwa, or a rule of Islamic law, declaring that it was every Muslims duty to kill any
American, anywhere, at anytime due to the Americans “aggression” against the Muslims of the world
(United States). This public declaration did not reach the ears of the United States, however. In fact,
just hours after he issued the fatwa, he posed for pictures in front of, oddly enough, a map of Africa:
where, just seven months later, he would carry out his long awaited plan to attack the U.S. Embassies
(McDermott 177).
The United States responded to the embassy bombings by launching cruise missile strikes on alQaeda targets: a training camp in Afghanistan and a chemical factory in Sudan, both of which had
connections to the terrorist organization (McDermott 209). They also issued a worldwide search for Bin
Laden, hiring foreign agents to find and kill Bin Laden. However, his whereabouts were unknown, and
the search went unsuccessful. The United States also tried to persuade the Taliban to break their
alliance with al-Qaeda and expose the whereabouts of Bin Laden, but the attempt proved fruitless.
Meanwhile, unknown to the United States, the 9/11 plot was in it's second year of planning, and would
continue to go unnoticed until that fateful September day (United States).
The attention gathered by the 1998 embassy bombings did little to slow down al-Qaeda. On
October 12th, 2000, an al-Qaeda team based in Aden, Yemen filled a small motorboat with explosives
and rode out to meet the U.S.S Cole, a U.S Navy vessel (United States). It was anchored in Aden
Harbor at the time of the explosion, which ripped a large hole into the side of the ship and came very
close to sinking the massive vessel (McDermott 209). Out of a crew of 293, seventeen soldiers were
killed and forty injured. Osama Bin Laden is believed to be responsible for planning the attack
(National).
Before 9/11, all terrorist attacks targeted at the United States killed less that 1000 Americans
(Hampson). Looking at the death toll of 9/11, the difference is shocking; in one day alone, more
Americans were killed by a single terrorist attack than in all of history. However, even these previous
attacks should have been huge warning signs for what was to come.
BEFORE THE ATTACKS
The World Trade Center complex in New York City held tens of thousands of people on any
given day, making it one of the largest business complexes in the country. So it isn't that big of a
question as to why the World Trade Center was the main target for the 9/11 hijackers; in a single attack,
thousands of lives could be taken at the hands of a few individuals. Although the World Trade Center
complex is no longer standing after the atrocities of 9/11, it remains important that we understand it's
history, and just how important the complex was to the city of New York.
Since the end of WWII, the idea of a world trading complex being built in New York City was
under consideration. However, no one wanted to take the responsibility of building such a large facility.
Then in the late 1950's, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey took notice.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey “conceives, builds, operates and maintains
infrastructure critical to the New York/New Jersey region’s trade and transportation network.” It is
responsible for the construction of countless ports, bridges, airports, tunnels, and parks in New York
alone. Established on April 30th, 1921, the Port Authority has since been a major part of New York's
infrastructure (The Port Authority).
In 1962, the Port Authority pinpointed the perfect location for what was to be a major business
complex. The Port Authority “fixed its site on the west side of Lower Manhattan on a superblock
bounded by Vesey, Liberty, Church and West Streets.” However, fitting what the Port Authority wanted
to be a complex with over 10 million square feet of office space proved to be a challenge. Head
architect Minoru Yamasaki poured over hundreds of possible building designs before settling on what
was believed to be the perfect fit for the tight space: two tall towers surrounded by other low-rise office
buildings. With the final designs in place, building could commence.
The ground breaking ceremony was held on August 5th, 1966. Building continued for several
more years, but the North Tower opened it's doors for a few occupants in 1970. The entire North Tower
was not completed until 1972. Throughout the years of construction, the two towers opened their doors
to tenants as more space was completed. Finally, on April 4th, 1973, the World Trade Center Complex
was officially declared open for business with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The total cost to build the
complex was a whopping $1.5 billion (“The World Trade”).
The World Trade Center complex housed a total of seven buildings, the most famous being the
Twin Towers. The two buildings alone equaled an amazing 10 million square feet of space. Each tower
was 110 stories, and were the world's tallest until the building of the Sears Tower in Chicago in 1974
(“9-11”).
The Port Authority turned away criticism about the towers safety, most of which came from
Empire State Building owner Lawrence Wien. Wien ran an ad in the New York Times claiming that an
airliner would accidentally fly into one of the towers someday, as he believed they were too high (“911”). As described by Perfect Soldiers author Terry McDermott: “Eerily, another of the buildings'
engineers once bragged that the towers were designed to withstand the impact of an airliner; people
laughed when they heard that anyone would even consider such a thing.”
Over 200 miles away in Arlington, Virginia, the Pentagon serves as a home to the U.S
Department of Defense. With America on the verge of entering WWII in 1941, the military was
struggling to find office space for it's ever growing War Department. Rather than build several
temporary structures, it was decided that it was time for a new, permanent home for the nation's
military command. Engineer Officer George E. Bergstrom was responsible for the initial plans, which
were quickly approved by the War Department. As stated on the Pentagon's website:
Plans for the building proceeded swiftly. Bergstrom with architect David J. Witmer developed
plans for a unique reinforced concrete building that would consist of five concentric pentagons
separated by light wells and connected by radiating spoke-like corridors. It would have five
stories and include a six-acre interior court, numerous ramps and escalators, a large shopping
concourse on the first floor, taxi stands and bus lanes, and parking for 8,000 cars (The
Pentagon).
Construction on the Pentagon began, eerily enough, on September 11th, 1941: exactly 60 years
before it fell victim to attack on 9/11. With America at the time involved in WWII, the builders had to
lessen their use of vital war materials including bronze, copper, and metal. As a result, the Pentagon
wasn't as decorated and beautiful as once planned. Instead they had to make use of other materials,
such as concrete. However, the builders speed and craftsmanship was impressive. The massive
building, which sprawls over 29 acres and contains 17.5 miles of corridors, took only 16 months to
build. The total cost of building was $83 million.
The Pentagon was officially opened on January 15th, 1943, and immediately became home to
the U.S War Department. During WWII, it housed about 33,000 workers on any given day. When the
war ended in 1945, the government was unsure of what to do with the unneeded facility. Eventually, it
was decided that it would become the official home to the nation's military headquarters. It continues to
be one of the largest office buildings in the world, and remains the headquarters for the U.S Department
of Defense (The Pentagon).
Both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were important to our country in their own way.
The World Trade Center was an important part of our nation's economy, while the Pentagon housed the
headquarters to our nation's military. Both suffered great losses at the hands of just few individuals,
who had planned and discussed the events of 9/11 down to every last detail.
THE PLAN
For years before the September 11th attacks, many radical Muslims believed that the U.S was to
blame for all Muslims suffering throughout the world. This was due mainly to the fact that the U.S
supported Israel, whom Islam considered their largest enemy. Says Abdul Hakim Murad, a key figure
in the planning of the 9/11 attacks: “If you ask anybody, even if you ask children, they will tell you that
the U.S. is supporting Israel and Israel is killing our Muslim brothers in Palestine. The United States is
acting like a terrorist, but nobody can see that” (qtd. In McDermott 130).
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who worked with his nephew in the foiled 1994 Manila plane
bombing attempt, was not slowed down in the least after his close call with authorities. Even though his
nephew and co-conspirator was in jail, Khalid Sheikh presented a new idea to Osama Bin Laden in
1996. He brought the idea from Abdul Hakim Murad, a close friend of his nephew, Ramzi Yousef.
Khalid Sheikh was first introduced to Murad before the Manila plot, and believed his idea for an attack
against the United States was brilliant. Murad's idea was to hijack a plane, and use the plane itself as a
weapon by dive-bombing it into a building. Potential targets he considered were the Pentagon or CIA
headquarters. Khalid took an immediate liking to the idea when he first heard it, and promised to
propose it to Bin Laden. However, Bin Laden believed the plan to be too simple. Thus Khalid proposed
a new plan; he wanted to hijack ten aircraft at once, with five targets on the West and East coasts of the
United States.
Bin Laden loved the complexity of this new idea, and the two began to research potential
targets. They looked through books on American skyscrapers, and two skyscrapers in particular made
the list: the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Library Tower in Los Angeles. However, they soon began
to question whether or not attacking the United States in such a way was “proper Islamic behavior.”
One of the major worries was that in attacking such large public buildings, they could potentially be
harming innocent Muslims. However, these worrying thoughts did not last long, as it was soon
reasoned that if a Muslim were killed when working with Americans, they were being punished. If they
were killed as an innocent bystander, they would go to “paradise” as a martyr. With these troubling
thoughts behind them, the planning could continue (McDermott 167-168).
Khalid Sheikh was immediately appointed head of planning the attack, and asked Bin Laden for
money and pilots: people who were willing to give their lives for jihad. Khalid Sheikh began trying to
make the plan more elaborate and dramatic, wanting to prove to the Americans that they were a force to
be reckoned with. Khalid wanted to be one of the ten pilots to hijack an aircraft. However, instead of
crashing his plane, he would kill all those aboard the aircraft and land at an American airport. There, he
would give a speech “denouncing U.S. Policies in the Middle East,” and even go as far as talking to
media. However, Bin Laden did not like this unnecessary risk, and decided to make some major
changes to the plan himself. In 1999, he reduced the number of planes that would be hijacked from ten
to four (McDermott 177).
From there, Bin Laden handpicked the four pilots who would carry out the plan: Mohamed elAmir Atta, Ziad Jarrah, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Hani Hanjour. All were sent to the U.S months before
September, 2001, where they attended separate flight schools. Atta and Shehhi traveled together,
spending their first week in the States in New York. In search of a flight school, they traveled to
Florida, where they enrolled at Huffman Aviation. Jarrah, who had been in the United States for a few
months before the arrival of Atta and Shehhi, was enrolled at the Florida Flight Training Center just a
short distance away. However, Jarrah never met Atta and Shehhi, even though they would all take part
in the hijackings on September 11th (McDermott 195). Hanjour, who was already licensed as a
commercial pilot, did not arrive in the United States until months later, when he decided to take flight
training once more. He traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, where he enrolled at JetTech Flight School
(McDermott 213).
With the pilots nearing the end of their training by the spring of 2001, Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed began dispatching the rest of the hijacking crews to the United States. All had come from
al-Qaeda camps, and were recruited for the plan by excelling in hand-to-hand combat: a vital skill in
overtaking an aircraft. They were sent to the U.S in small groups, meeting up with the pilots in various
cities. All blended into American life well. They bought gym memberships, lived in the suburbs, and
rented cars. They even acquired drivers licenses or other forms of identification. However, in order to
cover these and other living expenses, each hijacker was continually wired money from different, lowprofile al-Qaeda members or allies. With nineteen men in place, the plan was ready to be put into action
(McDermott 220).
Khalid Sheikh and Bin Laden had already selected the targets for the attacks: The Twin Towers,
The Pentagon, and the U.S capital. The date they chose was Tuesday, September 11th, and the hijackers
in America began to prepare. They purchased their airline tickets and “moved into position,” occupying
several different cities. Mohamed el-Amir Atta and one other hijacker drove from Boston to Portland,
Maine on the night of September 10th. “The two of them spent the evening shopping at Wal-Mart and
eating at a Pizza Hut before turning in.” Across the country, the other hijackers spent their last nights in
a similar fashion. The next morning, the hijackers followed the plan and headed to the airport. All got
past security, even though many were carrying box cutters and chemical sprays, which were against
FAA regulations. Many set off alarms while passing through security, but were waved on through
without further inspection. As a result, all nineteen hijackers made it onboard their respective aircrafts
without trouble, and carrying deadly weapons that would be unleashed upon unsuspecting passengers
(McDermott 234-235).
TIMELINE OF 9/11
September 11th, 2001 was a day of great confusion, anger, sadness, as well as a mass of other
emotions that took hold of every American citizen. The first building attacked on that day was the
World Trade Center's North Tower, which was hit at 8:46AM when American Airlines Flight 11,
piloted by Mohamed el-Amir Atta, tore a hole into the side of the building stretching from floors 94-98
(National). Great confusion and fear swept the city of New York. Television stations interrupted their
broadcasts to show the smoke pouring out of the North Tower. Even the newscasters were confused,
believing that a small, two or four passenger plane had hit the building (Werner).
Seventeen minutes later at 9:03AM, United Airlines Flight 175, which was piloted by Marwan
al-Shehhi, hit the South Tower, with the hole stretching from floors 77-85 (National). People
everywhere, already watching their televisions, watched in shock as the second plane crashed into the
South Tower. Immediately after, buildings across the country began to evacuate in fear of further
attacks, including the Sears Tower in Chicago (Werner).
At 9:25, the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, ordered a nationwide ground stop. This
meant that all flights planned to take off were cancelled. Fifteen minutes later, they ordered all planes
to land at the nearest airport. There were 4,546 planes in the air at the time (National). The only aircraft
allowed in American airspace were jet fighters that were dispatched to patrol the skies of New York and
Washington. An aircraft carrier was sent by the Navy to New York Harbor, as well (Hampson).
While New York was beginning to respond to the attacks on the Twin Towers, at 9:37AM
American Airlines Flight 77, piloted by Hani Hanjour, hit the Pentagon in Arlington, sending
Washington into a frenzy (National). Just a short while later, another hijacked plane--United Airlines
Flight 93-- crashes into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania at 10:03.
The hijacked Flight 93 had been headed towards the U.S capitol: the forth and final target in the
9/11 plot. However, the passengers had been able to contact loved ones with cell phones, and had since
learned of the other three hijackings. They knew their plane was headed for the same fate, and decided
to take action. They began planning a counterattack, hoping to overthrow the hijackers and take control
of the plane in order to save other innocent lives. Despite being fought off several times, the brave
passengers were ultimately successful; they were moments from breaching the cockpit when the
hijackers decided to crash the plane to prevent the passengers from being successful in their assault.
Due to the courage of the Flight 93 passengers, countless lives were saved (“9-11”).
The U.S. Government was immediately shut down after the second World Trade Center attack,
with it's top officers being closely protected. Both the Congress and the Cabinet were ushered into safe
locations, and all government buildings were closed. First Lady Laura Bush, with her husband in
Florida, made a quick statement to America after an education hearing with the Senate was postponed:
“Parents need to reassure their children everywhere in our country that they're safe” (qtd. in Fournier).
Shortly after, she was escorted to a secret location. Even President Bush's daughters, 19 year-olds Jenna
and Barbara, were escorted to safe locations: Jenna being at the University of Texas and Barbara at Yale
University at the time of the attacks. It seemed, oddly enough, that the President himself wasn't
evacuated as early as others.
President Bush started the day by visiting a school in Sarasota, Florida. He did not receive news
of the first plane attack until 9:00AM from his White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. He decided to
wait for more information before making any drastic decisions, and continued to read to the classroom
he was visiting. Finally, at 9:30AM, President Bush is briefed by National Security Advisor
Condoleezza Rice. Thirty minutes later at 10:00AM, President Bush boards Air Force One, planning to
head to Washington. However, his flight was diverted to the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana
when his pilots heard news of the attack on the Pentagon. President Bush proceeds to call Vice
President Cheney, and tells him to put the nation's military on high alert. He made a brief public
statement, reassuring Americans he was in close contact with his command post in Washington. After a
short stay, he once again boards Air Force One at 1:30PM and heads to a secret destination, which was
later found out to be the Nebraska Offutt Air Force Base. The Base was at the time home to the U.S.
Strategic Command: the control center for U.S. Nuclear weapons. It was also once home to the
“doomsday plane,” which would supposedly serve as a mobile White House in extreme emergencies,
such as nuclear war.
After a seemingly endless stay, President Bush was cleared to head back to the Washington at
4:36PM. He arrived at the White House at 7:00, and immediately began preparing to speak to the
nation. At 8:30, he addressed the nation, saying:
Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended.
I want to reassure the American people that the full resources of the federal government are
working to assist local authorities to save lives and to help the victims of these attacks. Make no
mistake: The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly
acts...We have taken all appropriate security precautions to protect the American people...
The resolve of our great nation is being tested. But make no mistake: We will show the world
that we will pass this test.
Five minutes later, the President attends a National Security meeting, and goes to bed shortly after
(Fournier).
Even though the day was over, the massive rescue and cleanup operations were just beginning.
No one wanted to even guess how many people were dead or injured, because they knew the numbers
were too high for them to easily comprehend. As Senator John McCain said shortly after the attacks:"I
don't think our lifestyles will be the same for a long time" (qtd. in Hampson).
AFTERMATH
The harrowing events of September 11th not only caused great destruction and loss of life, but it
also brought the people of New York City together in a way no one could have imagined.
As the first plane tore through the North Tower of the World Trade Center, 3000 gallons of jet
fuel it was carrying ignited massive fires, which would eventually cause the great building to collapse.
Just minutes after the North Tower was attacked, the same act was repeated on the South Tower; except
this time, the plane caused greater damage on lower floors, which would cause this tower to fall first at
9:59AM. Under a half an hour later, the North Tower collapsed.
The collapse of the towers set fire to other surrounding buildings, including the other five
buildings in the World Trade Center complex. Eventually all of the seven buildings of the World Trade
Center collapsed. Other damage was caused by the large, hot clouds of ash and debris that worked their
way through the streets of New York City (“9-11”).
Immediately, hospitals sent doctors to the scene to care for the injured. Firefighters from around
the country were sent to New York to aid the New York Fire Department in the search for survivors
beneath the tons of rubble (Holt World History). Meanwhile, in Arlington, a similar scene was taking
place at the Pentagon. Hundreds of people died instantly as the plane crashed into the west side of the
building, and raging fires snaked their way through the vast corridors. Thankfully, however, a majority
of the section that the plane hit was unoccupied at the time, due to renovations taking place in the
section's offices. This ultimately saved many lives. However, a total of 184 people were killed at the
Pentagon due to the attack (The Pentagon). In Pennsylvania, there was no hope for survivors. The
plane had carved a crater in a field, with debris and fires tossed about the grass. Fire crews proceeded
to extinguish the flames, and then turned their attention to the disasters unfolding around them in New
York and Virginia (Holt World History).
Rescue and recovery operations were extremely dangerous in both New York and Arlington.
Raging fires, loose rubble, and other risks had to be considered with each step. In fact, many police
officers and firefighters wrote their names, phone numbers of loved ones, and other personal
information on their arms with marker in case something were to happen. In New York, another danger
after the collapse of the towers was the air, which was filled with toxins: glass fibers, asbestos, silica,
lead, harmful jet fuel molecules, and diesel exhaust. On September 11th alone, over 300 workers in
New York City were hospitalized for eye or lung problems (“9-11”).
The City of New York lost 343 firefighters, 23 police officers, and 37 paramedics in the fight to
save lives from the rubble of the World Trade Center. Even then, only 11 people escaped from the
rubble alive. With the large mass of people who died, DNA technology was used to identify remains
found. However, 40% of the victims remain unidentified, and many more were never recovered
(National).
With both New York City and Arlington in desperate need of emergency funds, Congress
immediately passed a $40 billion relief package. The money was to aid in relief efforts, security efforts,
and to provide the families of victims with compensation. Donations from around the country, and even
the world, began pouring in. People lined the streets to give blood, while others gave all the money
they could scrape up to one of hundreds of charitable organizations. On September 21st, a special
telethon was held by actors and musicians: an effort that raised $150 million for relief organizations
(Holt World History).
Through all of this sadness and suffering, the country surprisingly grew stronger. Especially in
New York City, people came closer together for support and comfort. As said by Jonathan Werner:
“What was amazing was the difference in New York... The degree to which the city was transformed:
people were caring about one another... It was like a small town for a period of time, which was really
amazing and sad that it took this to do it.” Even across the world, countries showed their support for the
U.S. One image that was particularly striking was that of the French newspaper Le Monde's headline:
“WE ARE ALL AMERICANS.” Even past enemies of the U.S, such as Cuba, stated that they would
stand by and support the U.S. 9/11 not only changed America, but changed the entire world, as well
(Holt World History).
However, some people weren't as sympathetic. In parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, “thousands
of men brandishing swords and axes declared their willingness to join in jihad against America,” while
others “cheered at footage of the planes flying into the World Trade Center.” However, not all Muslims
approved of the attacks. For example, Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat publicly denounced the cowardly
attacks, and was even seen donating blood for the American victims (Esposito).
9/11 is estimated to have cost the country between $35 billion and $109 billion. Certain
businesses in particular suffered the most. Hotels lost about $22 billion in sales, while restaurants lost
about $14 billion (“Cost”). After the attacks, the New York Stock Exchange was shut down for four
days, reopening to one of the “worst weeks in the history of NYSE.”
However, the industry hit the hardest by the attacks was undoubtedly the nation's airline
companies. Business was shut down for days, and the cost of new security measures crippled even the
largest companies. “They laid off thousands of workers, and at least one smaller carrier went out of
business.” To help ease the pain, Congress approved a $15 billion bail-out package for the airline
industry alone (Holt World History).
On September 20th, President Bush once again spoke to the nation during a joint session of
Congress. He assured the nation that those responsible would brought to justice, saying: “Whether we
bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done” (qtd. in Holt World
History). He continued to announce that the nation would “wage war on terrorism itself,” focusing on
terrorist organizations and their supportive governments throughout the world.
In order to prevent future terrorism on American soil, the Bush administration created the Office
of Homeland Security, which would oversee the nation's security measures, especially those of the
airline industry. Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania, was appointed head of the Office (Holt
World History).
As the nation's war against terrorism commenced, President Bush “sought to fight terrorism
using economic, diplomatic, and military means.” He began by stopping all funds going to groups with
terrorist ties, and electing Secretary of State Colin Powell to “build an international coalition against
terrorism.” President Bush was even able to gain the support of other Middle-Eastern countries such as
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
On October 7th, 2001 the U.S began it's offensive in Afghanistan. With help from Great Britain,
ground troops entered the country and quickly captured al-Qaeda members. They also sent air-strikes to
numerous al-Qaeda bases (Holt World History). Along with their occupation of Afghanistan, the United
States also kept a close eye on neighboring nations, such as Iraq, whom they believed to be supporting
al-Qaeda and housing numerous nuclear weapons. As a result, “the United States and Great Britain led
a military coalition to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in early 2003” (Esposito). With the War
on Terror in full swing, the United States took the first step in what would become a long process of
recovery (Holt World History).
Although 9/11 was not the first attack on the United States from al-Qaeda, it was most definitely
the deadliest, as well as most remembered. It was a day filled with terror and sadness: feelings that for
many were not eradicated for years. With almost 3,000 americans killed in under an hour, 9/11 left a
devastating impact on the country and it's citizens. Unfortunately, it took such a devastating event to
teach us how to improve our the security of our nation. Since that time, our nation's security has
improved greatly while the events of 9/11 move farther back in our memories. However, 9/11 will
never be forgotten completely; it's everlasting scar remains a symbol of the indestructible strength and
willingness of this great country of ours.
Works Cited
“Cost of 9/11.” Wilson Quarterly. 33.4 (2009): n.p. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.
Esposito, John. “September 11, 2001.” The Islamic World: Past and Present. (1 Dec 2004): n.p. SIRS.
Web. 31 Jan. 2010.
Fournier, Ron. “Bush Faces Test of Historic Proportions.” Newsday. (2001): n.p. SIRS. Web. 31 Jan.
2010.
Hampson, Rick. "Minute by Minute, Fear Envelops the Country." USA Today. (Sept. 11 2001): n.p.
SIRS. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.
Holt World History: The Human Journey. United States: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2005. Print.
McDermott, Terry. Perfect Soldiers. HarperCollins Publishers Inc.: New York, 2005. Print.
National September 11 Memorial and Museum. National September 11 Memorial and Museum, 2008.
Web. 29 Jan. 2010.
The Pentagon. n.p. 2008. Web. 7 March 2010.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,
2001. Web. 16 March 2010.
“The World Trade Center.” skyscrapers.org. The Skyscraper Museum, n.d. Web. 11 March 2010.
United States. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. The 9/11
Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States: Executive Summary. Washington: GPO, 2004. Print.
Werner, Jonathan. Personal Interview. 10 February. 2010.
“9-11.” history.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2010.