remembering 9 11 the tenth anniversary

It is my JFK moment. I know exactly where I was when I first heard the news that a (small) plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. That small plane quickly turned into a passenger jet. Quickly followed by another one. The world stopped turning and looked on in amazement. This was no longer a tragic accident, but a well thought out attack on the United States. When reports came in that a thrid plane had crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth plane had crashed into fields in Pennsylvania it became clear this attack had taken months if not years of planning. The question was by whom. The answer to this question depended on who was speaking at the time. Iraq, Afghanistan, the Taliban, the PLO, Libya, all rolled over tongues of people who we thought had the knowledge. We now know that it was Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeada terrorist group.

The 9/11 attacks were directly responsible for nearly 3,000 deaths and indirectly for hundreds of thousands more through two wars against terrorism (Iraq and Afghanistan) and through different illnesses such as cancer and depression which hit rescue workers and people who helped with the clean up at Ground Zero.

The 9/11 attacks changed the world we live in, a change we still feel today when we board a plane, attend a large sporting or musical event and even when we open a newspaper or turn on the TV news. May it never happen again.

Rescue crews congregate near a U.S. flag amidst the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York in this September 13, 2001 file photo. September 11th marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks where nearly 3,000 people died when four hijacked airliners were used in coordinated strikes on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center towers. The fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania. REUTERS/Files

Click here for more