September 11: Never Forget

Well, it’s that time of year again. The day that people have dreaded and that wish it never happened. It’s September 11, 2013: 12 years after the tragedy. An attack that forever scarred every body mind and took the lives of 3,000 people.

    On September 11, 2001, a total of four terrorist attacks were initiated by an Islamic terrorist group, Al-Qaeda, upon the United States in New York City and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. This is also known as the 9/11 attacks.

    Four passengers airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists, so they could crash into buildings as part of suicide attacks. Two of these planes, American Airlines Flight 11 & United Airlines Flight 175, were smashed into the World Trade Center and within two hours, the buildings collapsed, causing fires to fractionally or completely damage other buildings in the WTC complex. The third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon, causing a partial collapse in its western side. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was intended to hit Washington D.C, but due to the passengers overcoming the hijackers, the plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In total, 227 civilians and 19 hijackers died, making it almost 3,000 deaths. It also was the deadliest incident for firefighters in the history of the United States.

    The U.S. government quickly suspected the Osama Bin-Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda, was behind the attacks, but he denied any accusations. Later on though, specifically 2004, he claimed to be responsible for the attacks. The United States then responded by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to dispose of the Taliban, which had harbored al-Qaeda. Having evaded capture for years, bin Laden was located and killed by U.S. forces in May 2011.

    Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired within a year. Many memorials were built to dedicate the loss, including the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York, the Pentagon Memorial, and the Flight 93 National Museum in Pennsylvania. After a delay, the One World Trade Center was completed at the World Trade Center site in New York City in 2013.

     Let’s just take this time and remember all those who had died in the terrible tragedy. Just imagine the fear and shock that grips your heart and soul as you realize these are your final moments of living. I...can’t even begin. Remember to respect those who mourn and never joke about it.

By: Diana Gudiel-Benitez