September 11th, 2011 marked the ten year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The nation came together once more to honor the victims. The Pepper Bough staff would like to dedicate this issue to the remembrance of all those affected by the 9/11 events.
The Attacks:
Ten years ago, on September 11th, 2001, the United States was attacked by Islamic terrorists.
The September 11th attacks included a series of coordinated attacks in which four passenger jets were hijacked by members of the Al-Qaeda, targeting New York City and Washington D.C.
Two of the planes were crashed into the World Trade Center towers. The first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, struck the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. eastern time. The second, United Airlines Flight 175, plowed through the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. eastern time.
Both towers remained standing for a short time, engulfed in jet fuel flames. The South Tower fell first, followed by the fall of the North Tower. The debris and ash reached all around the area surrounding the Twin Towers.
Another aircraft, American Airlines Flight 77, crashed into the western face of Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. eastern time.
The last hijacked airplane, United Airlines Flight 93, went down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m. eastern time. Flight 93 was beleived to have originally been intended for the United States Capitol, but passengers of the flight overtook the plane from control of the hijackers.
The death toll reached nearly 3,000, including the 19 members of Al-Qaeda. According to the executive summary in The 9/11 Commission Report, over 2,600 people died at the site of the World Trade Center, 125 died at the Pentagon, and 256 died on the hijacked flights.
The Memorial and Anniversary:
On the ten year anniversary, the grounds where the World Trade Center once stood filled with loved ones of those who lost their lives in the attacks.
Victims’ families gathered at the memorial for the first official tour of the site, and for a special memorial in honor of their lost loved ones.
There were city wide silences held at the times that each attack had occurred on that very day just a decade ago.
After the first observation of silence, the readings of the names of all those fallen began by the families and friends of the victims.
The ceremony also included President Barack Obama’s reading of a Psalms verse from the Bible, and former President George W. Bush’s reading of a famous letter by Abraham Lincoln to the mother of son who died in the Civil War.
Special memorial services were also held that day at the sites of the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania in honor of the attacks.
The 9/11 Memorial is located in New York City, at the site where the World Trade Center towers once stood.
The memorial is a national tribute of remembrance for those victims killed in the September 11th terrorists attacks, as well those killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February of 1993.
Twin reflecting pools now sit just footsteps from where the Twin Towers once stood. The largest manmade waterfalls in North America cascade down inside these nearly one acre sized pools.
The pools are enclosed by bronze parapets, which feature the names of every individual who passed in these attacks. More than 400 oak trees surround the two waterfalls.
On Monday, September 12, 2011, the 9/11 memorial was opened to the public. However, reserved visitor passes are required. The passes are free, and can be reserved online at the official 9/11 Memorial site. The site also enables you to locate names of the fallen victims, and features galleries and more detailed information regarding the memorial.
Additional parts of the memorial will be added with time, including a museum in what used to be the underground parking structure for the Twin Towers. The museum will have exhibits that feature 9/11 artifacts, narratives, and multi-media displays that will vividly illustrate the events of September 11th.