By: BHS Features Staff
September 11, 2024
Today during the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 terrorists attacks, we honor the memories of those who sadly lost their lives, a devastating event in American history.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, four commercial airlines were hijacked by terrorists; those airlines were Flight 11, Flight 175, Flight 77, and Flight 93. The terrorists crashed Flight 11 and Flight 175 into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center, located in New York City. Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, and Flight 93 was forced to crash land in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, due to the passengers and crew on the airline regaining control and causing the plane crash.
The World Trade Center nicknamed the “Twin Towers” eventually ended up collapsing due to the damages from the planes and the fires caused by them. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the attacks, and more than 6,000 people were injured.
The Pentagon lost 125 service members, as well as all 64 people on the airplane. The Pentagon Memorial is the first national memorial dedicated to honor those whose lives were lost that day.
Just four minutes after Flight 93 departed (due to a 25-minute delay), the first tower was struck by hijacked Flight 11. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered all aircraft to land at the nearest airport, which was the first time any order like that had been given out by the FAA in its history. Sadly, Flight 93 was not responding to the order. Flight 93 was 46 minutes en route through Pennsylvania when the terrorists aboard took control of the cockpit, changing its course from their original destination to Washington D.C. The passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93 used airfones to reveal the hijacking. The passengers realized that they were a part of a large attack on America.
The realization caused the passengers and crew members aboard the flight to regain control by any possible means. Due to this action and bravery, the terrorists crashed the plane instead of letting the passengers regain full control. Because of these heroic actions, the attack on the U.S. Capitol building was thwarted.
At the Flight 93 crash site, there is a beautiful memorial. Information can be found on the National Park Service website.
The attacks on 9/11 caused so many deaths that the estimated number of rescue dogs was over 300. They were used to help find the bodies of survivors or ones who sadly lost their lives throughout Ground Zero. The dogs began getting depressed whenever they found multiple victims’ corpses, so many rescue dog handlers decided to start hiding themselves in the rubble, so the dogs could get a sense of joy by rescuing someone alive.
There were so many unfortunate deaths on September 11. The youngest person who died was a two-year-old girl named Christine Lee Hanson, who died with her parents, Peter and Sue. The oldest deceased person was an 82-year-old man named Robert Norton. He was on one of the planes with his wife, Jaqueline, ready for their upcoming marriage.
BHS ELA teacher Mr. Ken Rademaker remembers exactly where he was during this national tragedy.
“I was here in Brooklyn High School on the first floor in the old English wing, teaching class. I first thought when the principal (at the time) came over the PA talking about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center that it was a small plane, the ones that hold one to two people. I didn’t think it was a big deal since we didn’t have TVs in the room, so we didn’t know how bad the event really was.”
Today, take a moment of silence for those who tragically lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorists attacks. We give our gratitude to those who risked their lives saving others.
Never Forget and “Let’s Roll!”
{Information for this article sourced from Naval History and Heritage Command, U.S Department of State, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Pentagon Memorial, and Flight 93’s Call to Action.}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 