Reported 9-20-01, nine days after the attacks
On September 11,2001, the United States was shaken with an unforgettable terror. Our nation was severely attacked and part of our country destroyed. "Today," President Bush announced that day, "our nation saw evil." Indeed, the incidents happened only in the east coast, yet it seems now that our nation has been split into two pieces.
It was a normal morning for those living on the east coast, who dressed for work, packed their bags for their early flight, and decided to leave the house; little did they know what to expect after that. Many often wonder how the most dismal and most ruthlessly dreadful day in modern American existence could start in such ordinary ways. Between 7:58 and 8:15 that early morning, four separate planes took off. Two from Boston departed for Los Angeles, while the other headed to San Francisco from New Jersey; a plane from the Washington Dulles International Airport departing for Los Angeles was hijacked after take-off. Shortly afterward, Flight 11 from Boston crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. Eighteen minutes later at 9:03, Flight 175, the first plane to leave Boston, crashed into the South Tower. Two planes were already down, and two more were in the air. Television commentator Barbara K. Olson, a passenger on Flight 77, was on her cell phone with her husband, U.S. Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson. The call was cut off, but she was able to contact again. She explained how the hijackers were armed with knives. Moments later, the President was immediately informed, and Flight 77 from Washington to Los Angeles had crashed into the Pentagon. As hearts pounded and tears shed, there was one surprise after another; but it wasn't over yet. The plane that was heading for San Francisco, Flight 93, mysteriously crashed into a wooded area in Pennsylvania. Few on board used their cell phones to contact family members to inform them of their fate. No one knows why the plane landed in such a remote area. Perhaps it was intended to crash into the White House. But surely, the witnesses, who saw it all, are dead, and we thank the courageous ones on board for not allowing that plane to cause more havoc. All of this unimaginable fright happened in just a matter of hours. By 9:51, when the unbelievable coverage was finally shown on televisions all over the country, the South Tower collapsed and the North at 10:28. Floor upon floor, each fell thousands of feet down, crushing anyone in its way, including rescue workers and fearful victims, who were running for their lives.
Fathers, mothers, perhaps even young children, who were either near the World Trade Center or in the building itself, have lost their lives. Travelers, flight attendants, and pilots as well as the passengers on board of those doomed flights had no idea, when they woke that morning, that they would be bidding their loved ones, "Good-bye," forever. Firefighters and police chiefs worked hard, attempting to rescue hopeful survivors of the collapsed towers; few, who vowed to work until another life was found, either got lost in the rubble remains or died from trying to save another. Because of the numerous terrorist attacks, which happened years ago, Osama Bin Laden of Afghanistan has been the main suspect to each, including the September 11 tragedy. Now, because of this horrible crisis, the United States, with careful planning, are still in search of the infamous Laden. Despite everything else, he has killed over five thousand people and ultimately destroyed one of the things that kept this nation intact. The haunting horror of September eleventh, which many Americans will always remember, is certainly more atrocious than the raid on Pearl Harbor during the launch of World War II so many decades ago. However, that question still remains: What are we to do if Bin Laden does turn up? For the meantime, he lingers in secret. They hit us first, so now, we hit them back. Our retaliation, undoubtedly, will cause more attacks. Thus, we have begun another World War.
�FranniePooh2002