September 11th Memorial

SEPTEMBER 11th, 2001
"None of us will ever forget this day, yet we order to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world. 'Even though I walk through the valley of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me.' God Bless America. "
It was like any other beautiful September day for many of us. Many were on their daily morning commute to our offices, others were on their way or already in school, and some were simply enjoying the day at home. In New York, people were making their way to their destinations around the hustle and bustle of traffic and noise, just like any other typical Tuesday morning in the Big Apple. Little did they know that the next half-hour, their beloved city would be rocked by one of the biggest terrorist attacks in history.
At 8:46 a.m. EST, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire. The plane strikes the 93rd through 98th floors in the 110-story building. No one above the crash line survives; approximately 1,360 people die. Below the crash line, approximately 72 die and more than 4,000 survive. Both towers are slightly less than half full at the time of the attack, with between 5,000 to 7,000 people in each tower.New Yorkers came pouring out of the surrounding buildings, catching their first glimpse of the beginning of what would go down as a tragic day in American history. Images and videos of the building were shown on the worldwide news networks, and millions across the world were hoping this was just an awful accident. But the worst was yet to come.
At 9:03 a.m. (EST), Flight 175 hits the South Tower of the World Trade Center (Tower Two). Millions watch the crash live on television. The plane strikes the 78th through 84th floors in the 110-story building. Approximately 100 people are killed or injured in the initial impact; 600 people in the tower eventually die. All but four of those killed work above the crash point. The death toll is far lower than in the North Tower because about two-thirds of the South Tower's occupants have evacuated the building in the 17 minutes since the first tower was struck.
At 9:37 a.m. (EST), Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon. Approximately 125 people on the ground are later determined killed or missing. “It was the only area of the Pentagon with a sprinkler system, and it had been reconstructed with a web of steel columns and bars to withstand bomb blasts. The area struck by the plane also had blast-resistant windows—two inches thick and 2,500 pounds each—that stayed intact during the crash and fire. While perhaps, 4,500 people normally would have been working in the hardest-hit areas, because of the renovation work only about 800 were there...” More than 25,000 people work at the Pentagon.
United Airlines flight 93 was a Boeing 757 on a morning Newark-to-San Francisco route. On the morning of September 11, 2001, the plane was hijacked by a four man hijacking team. Evidence suggests that the hijacking was apparently thwarted by the efforts of the plane's passengers and flight attendants. The plane crashed southeast of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The plan was carrying 37 passengers and 7 crew members. There were no survivors. Todd Beamer, a passenger, tried to place a credit card call but was routed to a customer service representative instead, who passed him on to supervisor Lisa Jefferson. She called the FBI. Beamer reported that one passenger was dead. He asked if together they could pray the Lord's prayer, which they did. Later, he told the operator that some of the plane's passengers were planning "to jump" the hijackers. The last words Ms. Jefferson heard from the plane were "Are you ready guys? Let's roll." The plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 AM, killing all aboard. Its is now believed that this hijacked plane was intended to be crashed into the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C.