21 years

Sunday, Sept. 11; The Nation Remembers

Nearly every person can remember what they were doing on that Tuesday 21 years ago. The nation’s perspective was changed forever. On that day, 19 militants associated with extremist al Qaeda hijacked four planes and used them in suicide attacks on the towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another plane crashed before it reached its target. Some of the hijackers had lived in America for more than a year and taken flying lessons here.

They were allegedly financed by Osama bin Laden’s branch of al Qaeda and were in retaliation for the U.S. support of Israel and the Persian Gulf War.

The first plane struck the north tower near the 80th floor, killing many and trapping more in the upper floors. In just 18 minutes, a second plane struck the south tower, eliminating the possibility that the first crash was accidental.

The anniversary of the attacks will be commemorated again Sunday as family members of the victims gather on Memorial Plaza in New York. The museum and memorial will close for part of the day Saturday and Sunday so that family members, victims, business owners and those still suffering from illnesses resulting from the attacks can visit and remember privately.

The program will begin at 8 a.m. and the first moment of silence, marking the exact time the first plane struck the World Trade Center will take place at 8:46 a.m.

Closer to home, OSU’s Fire Protection Society and Firefighter Combat Challenge Team will hold a memorial stair climb Sunday inside Boone Pickens Stadium. Participants, including OSU students, faculty and staff, as well as firefighters from the surrounding area and across the country, will climb the equivalent of 110 stories in honor of firefighters and emergency personnel who responded at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. That event begins at 9 a.m. with registration at 8:30. The first plane slamming into the building took the first lives of the 2,996 that died. In addition to those killed in the two towers that were struck by aircraft, caught fire and imploded, there were more than 400 emergency responders, passengers on those aircraft, passengers on the plane that struck the Pentagon, personnel in that building and on Flight 93 that went down in Pennsylvania. The target of that plane has not been discovered, but possibilities include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, Camp David or one of several nuclear power plants in the northeast.

There are still first responders dealing with the effects of toxins they came in contact with during the rescue operations.

This year President Joe Biden will deliver remarks and lay a wreath at the Pentagon on Sunday, while the First Lady will speak at the Flight 93 National Memorial Observance in Shanksville, Penn. Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the memorial in New York City.