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As many of you would know, today marks 15 years since the heinous attacks committed against the United States. It’s around now, 15 years ago, that American Airlines Flight 11 departed Boston Logan Airport, bound for Los Angeles International Airport. United 175 was still at the Gate along with American 77 at Dulles and United 93 at Newark. Tuesday, September the 11th was a pleasant Autumn day, New York Mayoral Primaries were set to be held and Delta Flight Attendants announced an intention to vote on joining a union.
8:46.29, the last second of normality for a while. Many workers in the World Trade Center complex were blissfully unaware of the absolute terror that would be unleashed in the next one-hundred and two minutes. At 8:46.30, American Airlines Flight 11 impacted the northern facade of 1 World Trade Center, instantly killing 92 people aboard the Boeing 767 and hundreds of World Trade Center workers and the innocence of an entire nation. Witnesses report that flaming jet fuel was carried by the elevator shafts, burst out into the Sky Lobbies, ground floor lobby and the concourse of The Mall of the World Trade Center. From this point onwards, it would be 17 minutes until United 175 destroyed the southern side of Two World Trade Center, instantly killing everybody on-board the jet and hundreds in the building. It was now that nearly every American began to realize that it was not a terrible event, but rather an act of terror.
The final seconds of United Flight 175 were captured from dozens of different angles and viewed by thousands around the world on live television crosses. The time was now 9:03.02, One World Trade was on fire, American Flight 77 had been hijacked and was enroute back to Washington and United Flight 93 was still flying towards San Francisco. By now, scenes of the devastation were live to almost every corner of the globe and millions watched, lost for words and searching for answers. At 9:37.46 American Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon killing all 59 passengers and crew as well as 125 in the Pentagon, and United Flight 93 had been hijacked.
After burning for 56 minutes, Two World Trade Center collapsed due to the immense stresses of the impact and the ensuing fire, killing approximately 900 people, including Emergency Services members. Live and unedited, the raw footage and emotions of the collapse was streamed worldwide as New Yorkers fled the speeding grey wall of dust and debris.
10:03.11 and the struggle for control over United Airlines Flight 93 was over, after a revolt, the selfless actions of the passengers of Flight 93 saved hundreds more from another attack, the Boeing 757 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
102 minutes and 1 second after normality ceased to exist, 1 World Trade collapsed, killing 1600 people, including 164 people trapped in Windows of The World, at the 106th & 107th floors, whose desperate phone calls became the voices of September 11. 2,977 people perished in these attacks against the United States and freedom in General.
Australians awoke to scenes of devastation in the United States and began searching for answers, we looked to our prime minister, John Howard, who was stuck in Washington DC and our fear increased. Nobody could foresee the effect that September 11 would have on Australia and the world, for Australians, it left us in Travel turmoil. Australians rushing to be home with their family arrived at the airport only to find that, Australia’s largest domestic airline and a symbol of national pride, Ansett Australia, had entered into administration leaving thousands stranded. It was a day that our grandchildren will ask us about, like we asked our grandparents about the War or the assassination of JFK.I dedicate this piece to the 411 emergency service personnel who were killed during the collapse of the World Trade Center and the hundreds more who died in foreign lands in the pursuit of freedom.
This thread is not to discuss theories about the attacks, but rather share stories and remember the fallen.
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