Remembering the loss and celebrating the heroes of 9/11
Today we reflect on September 11, 2001, as we remember the loss and celebrate the heroes, we continue to support the survivors. As you go throughout your day, take a moment to remember the fragility and value of life, and let's seek to love more.
Remembering the Loss
In 102 minutes on what had started out as a beautiful, late summer morning, terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center in one of the most harrowing episodes in history. The attackers crashed hijacked passenger jets into each tower, setting off massive office fires in each building.
A total of 2,996 mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends and loved ones were killed in the 9/11 attacks. Citizens of 78 countries died in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
Celebrating the Heroes
A tragedy brought us together as a city and country, and even as we go through the current Covid 19 pandemic, let us demonstrate even stronger, hope, strength, unity and support for each other.
A law enforcement officer reacts after the first tower of the World Trade Center fell in New York City early September 11, 2001. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
Workers at St. Vincent’s Hospital wait for injured people from the World Trade Center towers after planes crashed into the buildings, in New York on September 11, 2001. (REUTERS)
New York City firefighters take a break on West Street near the wreckage of the World Trade Center in New York City September 12, 2001. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
According to Pew Research, about 1 in 5 veterans today served on active duty after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. A Pew Research Center study released in September found that their collective experiences—from deployment to combat to the transition back to civilian life—are markedly different from those who served in previous eras. Roughly three-quarters of post-9/11 veterans were deployed at least once—compared with 58 percent of those who served before them—and these veterans are about twice as likely as their pre-9/11 counterparts to have served in a combat zone. These recent veterans are also more likely to bear the scars of battle, whether physical or not, with about half saying that they had emotionally traumatic or distressing experiences related to their military service and to say their adjustment to civilian life was difficult. Nearly all veterans expressed pride in their service with a majority endorsing the military as a career choice.
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