Remembering 9/11

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Often referred to as 9/11, the events of this day in 2001 permanently altered history. Nearly 3,000 people died as the result of a group of terrorists launching coordinated attacks against the U.S. by hijacking and crashing commercial airline planes at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa. in what became America’s most deadly terrorist attack. However, the heroism shown by both everyday citizens and first responders on 9/11 will never be forgotten.

History of 9/11

On the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial jets and deliberately crashed them into symbolic American sites. Two planes crashed into the tallest buildings in New York, the North and South Towers at the World Trade Center. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon in Northern Virginia. The fourth plane’s departure was unexpectedly delayed, leaving those on board to learn of the other attacks while mid-flight and fight back. Because of the bravery of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, the fourth plane crashed in a grassy field in Western Pennsylvania rather than its intended target. In 2010, a group of Navy SEALs launched a covert strike inside a Pakistan compound that successfully killed Usama Bin Laden.