What do you remember from 9/11?
My memories of 11 September 2001
Twenty years ago today, I worked in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. At about 3 pm, some people had gathered around a television watching the first pictures on CNN of a' small plane' that had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I don't think that terrorism was on anybody's mind in those first minutes, although someone speculated that something more significant than a small Cessna-size plane must have caused this. I remember mentioning reading about a bomber that had hit the Empire State Building during the Second World War. I suppose that I, therefore, didn't think for a moment that the tower itself would be in danger. I joined them for a few moments and went back to work.
I suppose others must have speculated about possible terrorism after I left. Perhaps they had already heard about highjacked airliners. But as soon as the second plane hit, there was no more doubt; this was an attack. I remember our collective feeling of disbelieve and shock while everyone gathered around that one television. There was no social media or smartphones; our primary source was CNN on one of those old television sets in that first hour.
Infamy
Someone speculated that the tower might collapse, but nobody paid attention. It had withstood the impact of the plane, so that remark seemed irrelevant. I remember mentioning that this was another Pearl Harbor. Millions probably thought or said the same at that moment, and so wrote the newspapers the next day; only followed a day later by comments why this was not Pearl Harbor. Both were right, it was, and it wasn't.
Before the first tower collapsed, a reporter mentioned that some 50,000 people worked in each building. So when they had both collapsed, I initially thought about a possible 100,000 casualties, not being aware that so many had had time to evacuate the buildings.
Flight UA93
A colleague mentioned that her parents were going to San Francisco, with a stopover in New York, but she had no flight schedule. In the hours that followed, we learned that one of the highjacked planes had been on its way to San Franciso. Nobody dared to tell her, and luckily she had just left the room. That San Francisco-bound flight must have been the United Airlines flight 93, where courageous passengers took over and managed to crash the plane in Pennsylvania instead of letting it hit the terrorists' target, which was likely the U.S. Capitol Building. Only many hours later did our colleague find out that her parents were not on board. Their plane had been more than halfway across the Atlantic and then turned around to fly back to Amsterdam. The pilots didn't explain why until they had landed safely.
My parents were traveling in the U.S. I expected them to be far away from the east coast, and realistically I knew they should not be in danger. But when I finally heard from them four days later, it was a relief to know that they were safe. When you are in Europe, you quickly forget about the size of the United States. It is a bit like Americans asking me if I know a European they have once met.
The Falling Man
For days, I didn't do much else than watch the news channels, just trying to process all the information somehow. I cried only on the third day, something I never do when following the world news. It was when I saw the picture of the falling man. Suddenly events that had been too big to comprehend were reduced to an unknown single victim and the horror of those last moments. Although the victim's identity was never officially confirmed, it is believed to be Jonathan Briley, a 43-year old sound engineer; he was a brother of one of the original members of the 1970 disco group Village People.
Today, the world's leading media will publish their best analysis of what happened then and its impact on both world politics and the many individual lives since that day of horror. But this is a day of commemoration, and I don't want to analyze or go into the what-ifs. So instead, these were my thoughts while watching the news. Of course, each of us has these kinds of memories of the sadness, anger, worries, and confusion of those first days. But a few young subscribers to this newsletter will be too young to remember this day.
The next generation
A few days ago, I started to watch Downton Abbey again. I saw it years ago but never finished it. They didn't pick January 1, 1900, as a starting point to tell the history of this fictional Yorkshire estate. Instead, they chose the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Similarly, I can imagine that the sunny blue sky morning on September 11, 2001, will increasingly be picked as the starting point of the 21st century. The younger generation that is now in their early twenties will surely learn about 9/11's significance. We will burden this generation with the challenge to solve the global environmental disaster that our and previous generations have created on earth. Understanding our lack of action to save the planet in time involves understanding what happened on this day, 20 years ago.
I will likely write about that in the future. But let's today remember those who lost their lives, their future, or their loved ones because of what happened on September 11, 2001.
What are your memories of 9/11?
The attack was of unimaginable cruelty, but it also led to inspiring, selfless heroism. This 13-minute video is just one example of such a hero.
Too close to home. My godfather was an airplane pilot at that time. His plane was confused with the one that was hijacked. He landed the plane and was on the tarmac communicating With authorities. I recall watching it on TV. But i didn'even know it was him until we met for dinner after a bit of time had passed.
My husband at the time was a police officer at the airport nearby. I recall that he had to report to work and had double shifts for the next year.
I was 7 months pregnant and remember watching it all unfold. Knowing that once the second plane hit the 2nd tower we were under attack. I recall it all. Too vivid. Horrific day. I still cry to this day. All the lives lost. 9/11. :(
I was not personally affected by the loss of a loved one, but the tragedy 0f 09/11 served to bond many of us, very strongly. I participated in a 'Face of America 2002' memorial bike ride on 09/11, in NY and NJ, in commemoration. I was fortunate to meet and ride with two who lived locally, Janet and Nathan. Nathan had been working up on a high floor when one of the the planes struck, and he told of assisting the people nearby in their descent by giving them coffee filters to cover their mouths. He believed this greatly helped in their survival. "Nothing is worth more than this day"...Goethe