Day of Infamy
I remember on this day, a couple of years ago, I was riding a bus home when I got a text from my friend Alex saying that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center in NYC. In a short time, a second plane hit the WTC's other tower. I remember thinking, 'What the HELL? This can't be a coincidence or an accident!'
And it wasn't. It was a meticulously planned and pre-meditated attack. A terrorist act of unprecedented horror, impact and cost to life, property and sense of security. Thousands of people would later die as the two highest buildings in New York City were reduced to smoldering piles of rubble by superheated jet fuel.
Later it was discovered that groups of men, practiced in flying planes, infiltration and even martial arts had taken over the planes, subduing the crew and piloting the huge makeshift bombs to their fatal destination. Apparently a third plane had also been taken, though it had crashed prematurely instead of striking its intended target (supposedly the White House). The reason for this is speculated to be an act of selfless bravery on the part of the passengers, who supposedly rushed the terrorists in a bid to stop the madness.
I remember being glued to the TV screen that day, watching in morbid fascination as the videos of the planes crashing into the buildings played over and over. There were the horrific images of people plummeting from the heights, only to smash into unyielding ground below. There were stories of sadness and death, of brave firefighters literally meeting death head on in their bid to save lives.
That day, the world knew stark fear and terror. The words Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden would become household terms for villainy. That day would start the US's present 'War on Terror'.
It was a dark day for people who love security, peace and life in general. I truly hope nothing like that ever happens again, but in this roiling earth we call home, you never can truly be sure what may happen. The price of freedom IS eternal vigilance, isn't it?
I remember on this day, a couple of years ago, I was riding a bus home when I got a text from my friend Alex saying that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center in NYC. In a short time, a second plane hit the WTC's other tower. I remember thinking, 'What the HELL? This can't be a coincidence or an accident!'
And it wasn't. It was a meticulously planned and pre-meditated attack. A terrorist act of unprecedented horror, impact and cost to life, property and sense of security. Thousands of people would later die as the two highest buildings in New York City were reduced to smoldering piles of rubble by superheated jet fuel.
Later it was discovered that groups of men, practiced in flying planes, infiltration and even martial arts had taken over the planes, subduing the crew and piloting the huge makeshift bombs to their fatal destination. Apparently a third plane had also been taken, though it had crashed prematurely instead of striking its intended target (supposedly the White House). The reason for this is speculated to be an act of selfless bravery on the part of the passengers, who supposedly rushed the terrorists in a bid to stop the madness.
I remember being glued to the TV screen that day, watching in morbid fascination as the videos of the planes crashing into the buildings played over and over. There were the horrific images of people plummeting from the heights, only to smash into unyielding ground below. There were stories of sadness and death, of brave firefighters literally meeting death head on in their bid to save lives.
That day, the world knew stark fear and terror. The words Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden would become household terms for villainy. That day would start the US's present 'War on Terror'.
It was a dark day for people who love security, peace and life in general. I truly hope nothing like that ever happens again, but in this roiling earth we call home, you never can truly be sure what may happen. The price of freedom IS eternal vigilance, isn't it?
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