9/11

Most people born before the 21 century could tell you exactly what they were doing on the
day of September 11, 2001. Being the age that I was and that my mind was still developing, I
don't remember a thing. My mother told me that I was at Primrose, my preschool. Like me, many
others were in school or at work because the day started off like any other for the regular
American.
That Tuesday an American Airlines Boeing 767 was hijacked. As it hit the north tower of
the World Trade Center in New York City at 8:45, confusion was put on the face of everyone
who witnessed it. The planes impact made a gaping hole near the 80th floor and dumped 20,000
gallons of jet fuel. Instantly, the crash killed hundreds of people and trapped hundreds more.
Eighteen minutes after the building was being cleared for what was thought to be a freak
accident, another American Airlines Boeing 767 was spotted in the sky. Flight 175 turned sharply
towards the World Trade Center, smacking right into the scouts tower. The collision the plane
made with the 60th floor caused an enormous explosion shooting out debris all over the streets
below.
Soon there was an understanding that America was under attack by Islamic terrorists. The
terrorists from Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations managed to board more than just the two
planes that had crashed. Four flights from three East Coast airports bound for California, were
chosen because of the substantial amount of fuel loaded onto the planes.
At 9:45, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., and crashed
into the west side of the Pentagon. The devastating blow to the building caused the death of 125
military personnel, including the 64 civilians on board Flight 77.

Fifteen minutes after the Pentagon was struck, the south tower of the World Trade Center
gave out and collapsed. At 10:30 a.m., the north tower did the same did the same and the two
caused dust and smoke to disperse through the city. Almost a total of 3000 people died in the
World Trade Center, including 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers
and 37 Port Authority police officers. All of which were struggling to complete an evacuation of
the building and save the lives of the office workers trapped on higher floors.
While almost 10,000 others were being treated for injuries, another hijacked plane was en
route to what what most people theorized to be the White House. The people aboard the plane
soon learned of what was going on after discovering the recent events that happened in New
York City and Washington and decided to take action. Knowing that they wouldn't survive many
called their family members and expressed their love for them with final goodbyes. Brave people
like Thomas Burnett Jr., Todd Beamer, and Sandy Bradshaw devised a plan for insurrection. The
battle with the four hijackers caused the plane to flip upside down and head straight into the
ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour. Flight 93 crashes in a rural field in western
Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All 45 passengers were killed in the crash.
On October 7th, Operation Enduring Freedom was put into action to oust the Taliban
regime in Afghanistan and take out Osama Bin Ladens terrorist network. In the time of two
months the u.s. forces tried to defeat a Taliban insurgency campaign based in neighboring
Pakistan. It wasn't until May 2, 2011, that Osama Bin Laden was tracked down and killed by u.s.
forces. The morning it am was announced on the news my dad woke me up like a kid waking his
parents up for Christmas.