Living in DC: 9/11, My Mom & Me - Free Essay Example

Introduction

Working in Washington, DC, has been one of the greatest achievements and experiences in my life. However, I am compelled to face the hurdles of the memories of 9/11, which are still fresh in my mind despite the tragic event happening way back when I was in high school. However, what intrigues me is how my mother was lucky to escape the ordeal despite working in Washington, DC, at that time. I can never forget the time when our teacher turned on live TV, and I had to watch where my mother worked turning into a blast the worst of it, I could not reach her on calls, and for a moment, I thought that she too had been physically affected by the tragedy. I vividly recall the date it was on September 11 a Tuesday morning during the late summer. The hijackers used the weapons of jet airliners, which they rammed at the World Trade Center of New York City and the Pentagon, leaving 2977 casualties (History.com Editors). The 9/11 incident was, therefore, not only the single deadliest attack by terrorists but also one of the deadliest incidents in the United States, especially for law enforcement officers and firefighters.

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Discussion on the 9/11 Attacks

9/11 underscores coordinated terrorist attacks in four spheres that were carried out by an extremist Islamic group, Al-Qaeda, on September 11, 2001, in the morning (History.com Editors). If memory serves me right, the US World Trade Center was once a 16-acre commercial complex in lower Manhattan, comprising numerous buildings, a big plaza, and an underground shopping mall that connected six buildings centerpieces at the Twin Towers. It was up until September 11 when the entire complex was destroyed following the terrorist attacks, formerly referred to as 9/11. I remember seeing the live news feeds on the school television on how American Airlines loaded with jet fuel crashed on the North Tower on New York's World Trade Center. That resulted in a burning hole on the 80th floor of the building, which subsequently killed hundreds of people who had been trapped on the other higher floors.

The images were live on the televisions flowing the live broadcasts and cameras as the evacuation took place. By then, I was worried about my mother, who had been working there, and I feared that the worst had happened, following the freaking images. Just when the evacuation was underway, and we thought that all was over, the second Boeing airline appeared out of the sky eighteen minutes later. It turned straight to the south tower on the World Trade Center adjacent to the 60th floor (History.com Editors). The subsequent events were even more tragic than the initial one following a massive explosion caused by the collision resulting in massive burning debris on the surrounding building and gas on the entire street, thus declaring the US under attack.

While we were still watching the unfolding events in New York City at 9. 45 am, American Airlines Flights circled downtown Washington, DC, before crashing on the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters. The subsequent results were severe encompassing inferno that collapsed some parts of the concrete giant building, which had formed the headquarters of the US Department of Defense. During the Pentagon, the total number of deaths was 125, including civilians and military personnel, coupled with 64 people aboard the airliner. Less than 15 minutes after the attack on the US military, the New York attack became catastrophic since we saw the collapse of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. All we could see was huge smoke and dust that covered the entire place, and the building could no longer withstand the high amount of heat from the jet fuel that was burning. In a short while, we saw the collapse of the north building of the Twin Towers and were informed that there were only six survivors in the towers of the World Trade Center as more than 10,000 people succumbed to severe injuries and death (History.com Editors). The fire department officials, on realizing that they could no longer control the blaze, opted to evacuate the workers trapped inside the two buildings, albeit there were still a huge number of casualties, including the firefighters.

From the news reports, I learned that 2996 people had been killed in the September attacks, including the 19 terrorist hijackers who were on a suicide mission abroad on the four planes (History.com Editors). Worse still, there were also citizens of 78 countries who succumbed both in New York and Washington, DC. The number of people who died at the World Trade Center following the slamming of the two planes at the twin towers was 2763 people. They included 343 firefighters, paramedics,37 police Authorities, and 23 police officers from New York, all in the attempts to evacuate the building and save the workers who had been trapped on the higher floors (History.com Editors). At the Pentagon, the number of people killed was 189, including 44 people who died upon the landing of the plane crash in Pennsylvania on flight 93 and those on American Airlines flight 77 that had struck the building.

The Planners of 9/11 Attacks

Looking back, I realized that a thorough investigation depicted that the mastermind of the attacks was Osama Bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda leader, and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the operational planner. Mohammed, who came up with the innovation of came hijacking planes to attack the US as Al-Qaeda provided support ranging from money, personnel, and logistics in the quest to execute g the operation. Mohammed Atta, the head of operation and 18 other terrorists from Saudi Arabia, first established themselves in the US and received training on commercial flights. Following the suicidal attack, all the 19 died save for Osama Bin Laden, who was later killed in 2011 by the US forces and Mohamed, who was captured in 2003 (History.com Editors).

The Motives of the Terrorists Attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center

The events of that day left me devastated, and even when I finally got home and found my mother safe and sound, the events still kept lingering in my mind. My mother had escaped within a whisker of death after being saved by the rescue team, albeit she secured some burns and bruises on her back during her attempt to escape. However, I was relieved that she was okay, although we had to stay at home for a little bit longer following the lockdown, which lasted for a while. However, I was curious about what might have prompted the terrorists to attack the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Following numerous researches on the attacks that I did, I finally realized that the terrorists had to set their sights on symbolic targets following their failure to destroy the US military. They were aware that the World Trade Center and the Twin Towers were great symbols of globalization and the US’s economic prosperity and power. On the other hand, the Pentagon was the US Department of Defense Headquarters, which symbolized US’s Military Power (History.com Editors). From what I found out, Al-Qaeda depicted that by attacking such symbolic American powers, they were to create widespread fear in the entire country and to weaken the standing of the Us in the World community.

How the 9/11 Attacks Changed the US

The direct aftermath of the attacks was severe, owing to the emotional distress that bit caused especially on us. Honestly, I became overwhelmed the moment I watched the unfolding tragedy of the collapse of the Twin Towers on the television. A more devastating notion to watch was hundreds of people stranded while some nursing injuries and worse, some dying during the attack. It was very devastating, especially for some of my classmates who lost their loved ones there as some of their relatives nursed the wounds from the attacks. The attacks presented a profound and lasting image on the American economy primarily on the foreign and domestic policy. I remember thew then-president George W. Bush declaring war on terrorism, which was sequential to the war on Afghanistan and Iraq (History.com Editors). A subsequent move was tightening the security measures in the US, primarily at the airports. Moreover, Congress responded by passing the controversial US Patriot Act, which was responsible for expanding the search and surveillance powers of intelligence agencies and federal law enforcement. Also, there was the creation of the Department of Homeland Security at a cabinet level.

Conclusion

Even as I currently work in Washington, DC, and drive-by the Pentagon daily, the memories of the tragic event have never left my mind. Honestly, I still have my fears about this place should such a tragic event happen again. I have to admit that I fear for my life every day, especially when I drive to the Pentagon for work, I keep asking myself, what if the terrorists were to attack again? My fears are informed by the fact that the 9/11 attacks were deliberate and non-predicted. I am also scared by the thought of the huge number of casualties who nursed injuries and succumbed most tragically ever the innocent lives that did not deserve to die, and the mass destruction of buildings and the surrounding cities once peaceful. Sometimes I take a drive at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which is on the Western side of the former World Trade Complex Center, which displays artifacts of the 9/11 attacks, exhibitions that are interactive and contemplative areas. I cannot help but feel emotional. Something that I find even more emotional regarding the 9/11 attacks is the programs conveying stories of survivors' experiences and eyewitnesses. The memorial exhibition is, however, in honor of the victims of the attack. To me, the 9/11 attack was one of the most tragic events the US has ever encountered, and drastic measures should be enforced in the fight against terrorism in the country.

Works Cited

History.com Editors. "September 11: Photos of the Worst Terrorist Attack on US Soil." HISTORY, September 11, 2019, www.history.com/news/september-11-attacks-photos.

History.com Editors. "9/11 Attacks." HISTORY, August 25 2018,

www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks.