Post by Rob W. Case on Sept 11, 2021 23:00:10 GMT -6
Everyone remembers where they were when a major, history changing event occurred that led to a turning point in this nation. The attack on Pearl Harbor is a prime example of this. September 11th, 2001 was a pivotal, historical event that relied heavily on dealing with evil, an act that led to mass destruction as a result of that evil, and bold and decisive leadership and candor to confront that evil. This event, and the time that followed it, if but for a moment, was when the media got it right, putting its politics on the backburner, and reported facts.
My Experience on September 11th, 2001:
I was working as an overnight cashier Monday night into Tuesday morning where I worked. That day was just like any other day. I would put in my time working, finish my cleaning, maybe pick up a few things, and go home, watch a tape of a TV series that I owned, and then go to sleep. After I went to sleep, my younger brother was home. It was his 16th birthday, and that day my dad let him stay home as a part of enjoying his birthday. After I went to bed, my brother came downstairs to tell me to turn on the TV. He said that “terrorists are taking over the country.” I remember being irritated and kind of disoriented hearing that because I had gone to bed not too long before he told me that. Curiosity swelled within me, and so, I turned on the TV in my room and saw Mayor Rudy Giuliani walking down the streets of New York City, with dust from the debris all over his suit and body, trying to get help to people who were injured in the collapse of the buildings.
All day, footage from the event dominated the airwaves, and honestly, I felt sorry for my brother. As we went to celebrate his birthday at a restaurant called “Funny’s”, there was a TV in the corner that kept playing footage of the towers of the world trade center going down. At home, I had my VCR taping the critical developments in real time, capturing President Bush’s reaction, the reactions from congressmen and senators, and learning more about Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. It was also a day of danger all around. President George W. Bush banned all air travel that day, and if any planes were caught in the sky, they were going to be “escorted” by fighter jets, with the order to shoot them down if they do anything out of the ordinary (since all of the attacks on that day involved airplanes being used as missiles).
A Time to Console a Nation:
Up until that day, the media regularly hounded President Bush, obsessing about the election of 2000 and each and every single day, attacking him and nitpicking over every little thing with sharply negative press. That day however, politics was set aside and answers were being sought after. It was a day unlike any other day in so many ways.
That night, President Bush addressed the nation.
The Reaction:
After the attacks, President Bush went to assess the damage brought on by the terror attacks. The president assured everyone there that their cries have been heard, and those who knocked the buildings down “will hear all of us soon.”
The attacks of September 11th were a wakeup call to the mortality of this nation. It humbled the nation, aroused a sense of patriotism not seen in a long time, and prompted the United States of America to think seriously about the vulnerabilities, mistakes, and the components that were in place that allowed such attacks to successfully materialize and become history. Since that time, the nation has largely remained safe, due to many safeguards that were put in place. And now, on the twentieth anniversary of that event, we see how history played out, and what (whether good or bad) has resulted from it since. But one thing’s for sure. When rattled enough, Americans rise up to the challenge and face its challenges, no matter how big.
My Experience on September 11th, 2001:
I was working as an overnight cashier Monday night into Tuesday morning where I worked. That day was just like any other day. I would put in my time working, finish my cleaning, maybe pick up a few things, and go home, watch a tape of a TV series that I owned, and then go to sleep. After I went to sleep, my younger brother was home. It was his 16th birthday, and that day my dad let him stay home as a part of enjoying his birthday. After I went to bed, my brother came downstairs to tell me to turn on the TV. He said that “terrorists are taking over the country.” I remember being irritated and kind of disoriented hearing that because I had gone to bed not too long before he told me that. Curiosity swelled within me, and so, I turned on the TV in my room and saw Mayor Rudy Giuliani walking down the streets of New York City, with dust from the debris all over his suit and body, trying to get help to people who were injured in the collapse of the buildings.
All day, footage from the event dominated the airwaves, and honestly, I felt sorry for my brother. As we went to celebrate his birthday at a restaurant called “Funny’s”, there was a TV in the corner that kept playing footage of the towers of the world trade center going down. At home, I had my VCR taping the critical developments in real time, capturing President Bush’s reaction, the reactions from congressmen and senators, and learning more about Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. It was also a day of danger all around. President George W. Bush banned all air travel that day, and if any planes were caught in the sky, they were going to be “escorted” by fighter jets, with the order to shoot them down if they do anything out of the ordinary (since all of the attacks on that day involved airplanes being used as missiles).
A Time to Console a Nation:
Up until that day, the media regularly hounded President Bush, obsessing about the election of 2000 and each and every single day, attacking him and nitpicking over every little thing with sharply negative press. That day however, politics was set aside and answers were being sought after. It was a day unlike any other day in so many ways.
That night, President Bush addressed the nation.
The Reaction:
After the attacks, President Bush went to assess the damage brought on by the terror attacks. The president assured everyone there that their cries have been heard, and those who knocked the buildings down “will hear all of us soon.”
The attacks of September 11th were a wakeup call to the mortality of this nation. It humbled the nation, aroused a sense of patriotism not seen in a long time, and prompted the United States of America to think seriously about the vulnerabilities, mistakes, and the components that were in place that allowed such attacks to successfully materialize and become history. Since that time, the nation has largely remained safe, due to many safeguards that were put in place. And now, on the twentieth anniversary of that event, we see how history played out, and what (whether good or bad) has resulted from it since. But one thing’s for sure. When rattled enough, Americans rise up to the challenge and face its challenges, no matter how big.
