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(6 of 7) That day - 9/11/01

  • Writer: OMR
    OMR
  • Sep 11, 2021
  • 4 min read

It was a beautiful day in NYC, but that morning, events unfolded that changed the world.

We owe it to the victims and their families to remember this day.

To refresh our memories, I thought these words from Jojo Reinhardt, did a great job in reminding us.

The day was Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Four planes with a total of 19 terrorist hijackers attacked the United States. Two planes (American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 both from Logan Airport in Boston, Mass) deliberately crashed into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York at 8:46 and 9:03 AM. Under 50 people survived. Those buildings collapsed onto a Greek Orthodox Church where a preschool was held as well as the Marriot at 3 World Trade Center and building 7. Other nearby buildings were destroyed or damaged. American Airlines Flight 77 from Dulles Airport in Virginia crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 AM. United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark Airport in New Jersey crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 AM due to the courageous and heroic efforts on the part of passengers to foil the terrorists’ mission.


A total of 2,977 people were killed that day and more than 6,000 injured. It could have been a lot worse. The Towers usually had around 50,000 people working there on any given day and 120,000 people using the underground subway beneath the complex. Over 20,000 people worked at the Pentagon (military and civilians); I believe 184 were killed that day. The entire crew, passengers, and hijackers of flight 93 were killed when the plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

The terrorists purposely chose planes scheduled for cross-country flights because their fuel tanks would have been full and thus cause the most damage.

In 2017 and then again in 2019, the death toll was raised to 2,996 due to rescue efforts and exposure to debris and toxins. 340 firefighters and 72 police officers died that day but death rates continue to rise: over 1,100 first responders have been diagnosed with cancer.

President George W. Bush was reading a story to children at Emma E. Booker Elementary School when he was informed. He was sequestered but made it to New York three days later. He stood on a pile of rubble with a bullhorn to address the first responders and volunteers. We bless him for his courage and encouragement that day.

“It took 99 days for the New York City Fire Department to finally extinguish the smoldering fires at the World Trade Center complex. Then, it took another 160 days to finally declare the cleanup and recovery operation over. In the end, about two million tons of tangled steel and rubble were removed from the site.” (John Stonestreet, Breakpoint daily 9/9/21)

The positives of the days following the attack include a turning to God and increased church attendance across our nation, a resurgence of patriotism and enlistment in the armed services, and the countless acts of bravery and charity that continue to this day.

There is a monument called the Tower of Voices in the field where Flight 93 went down in Pennsylvania. It is 93 feet tall and holds 40 wind chimes, representing the 40 passengers and crew members that died that day. I imagine the sound the bells make is both eerie and mournful as wind passes through the structure. I also imagine that in silence, the Tower is a monument to life and hope. The monument carries the names of those who died on that plane. “Ground Zero” in New York City has a monument with the names of the victims of the Twin Tower collapses. The Pentagon has a monument to those who perished that day as well – a wall with their names and 184 benches dedicated to each of the victims.

But what’s really interesting and so beautiful, is that the only monument outside the United States that contains all the names of the people who died on September 11, 2001 is located in Jerusalem, Israel.

A fire department near our home has a twisted metal piece of one of the towers and acrylic panels with the names of those who died in NYC. It is a place to go and be silent and pray and to never forget. If there is a monument near you, we urge you to go and pay respects.

The war on terror in Afghanistan is over… somewhat. Our troops may not be there but it is tragic and even unfathomable that we left some Americans and helpers (including a school) behind. The Taliban, a designated terror group, whom we fought for almost 20 years, is now in control of the country. And terror continues in other countries with the surging boldness of groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi rebels, Fulani herdsmen, and Boca Haran.

We must never forget and we must always be prepared. Not only for the threat of terrorist attacks, but also for remembering that every breath we take is a gift from God. Only He knows the number of days we have on this earth. And because of that, more than anything else, we must be careful how we live (Ephesians 5:15-1) and submit ourselves to the lordship of Christ Jesus; each breath brings us closer to eternity.


 
 
 

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