Patriot Day, September 11th remembered 7 years later

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers and civilians from all over Multi-National Division – Baghdad remember the tragic events, of Sept. 11, 2001, in front of the 4th Infantry Division Headquarters during a Patriot Day ceremony, on Sept. 11 of this year.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

09.13.2008

Courtesy Story

926th Engineer Brigade

By Spc. Anthony Hutchins
926th Engineer Brigade

BAGHDAD – On Sept. 11, 2001, the United States experienced one of the greatest tragedies in its history. The tragic events that took place on U.S. soil that day changed not only the way Americans think and behave, but also the way the rest of the world would think and act. The entire world was changed in less than two hours.

The name al-Qaida was only known to a few who had taken an interest in international terrorism. After Sept. 11, it would become a household name – a name that even the youngest elementary school student knows. Most people in the United States could not remember the last time we had been attacked in such a terrible manner.

On that day, Dec. 7, 1941, the United States was attacked by the Empire of Japan. The difference in these two situations is that in 1941 it was a military strike against a military target whereas in 2001 it was a terrorist attack against innocent civilians. Both occurrences are events where you know exactly where you were and what you were doing when it happened. Sgt. Samantha Summers the Medical Treatment non-commissioned officer in charge of the 926th Engineer Brigade, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, was 16 years old on the day of the attacks. She states that she was in class at the time. "I was in chorus singing a song when it started. I saw the second plane crash," she went on to say, "the second plane crash is the most clear in my mind because it was the first thing I saw."

It all began at 8:46 a.m. eastern time on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. The first reaction by everyone was that it was an accident. The first plane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center 14 minutes before 9 a.m. The media reacted quickly and began reporting it as an accident. The average citizen and the media never would have imagined the terror that was to come. They could not believe that we could be attacked without provocation by people bent on our destruction. Our naivety and innocence died with the innocents on board the second airplane that crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The first reaction by many who witnessed the second airplane was shock. Everyone knew at this moment that the first plane was no isolated incident, it was no accident, and we were under attack. Many people by this point were turning either to sadness or anger. At this moment it was still unknown who was responsible but it was known that the skies above were no longer safe. At 9:37 a.m., a third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. as an obvious attack on our government. Fear crept in as people began to wonder how many more suicide planes were out there and what else could be targeted. At 10:03 a.m., the final act in a tragic play ended when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.

In less than two hours our world had changed forever. No longer were we outsiders looking in at other nations who had endured terrorism. Americans had seen on television the terrorist attacks in Israel, Northern Ireland, and the Munich Olympics of 1972. They viewed with slight interest the destruction of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and in mild anger when viewing the damage done to the USS Cole in October 2000. After which al-Qaida grew ever more brazen and aggressive as time went on and eventually led to the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001.

There has been a clear change in the world and in the U.S. since that day. Col. Philip Jolly the deputy commander for the 926th Eng. Bde., says about the change in the world post 9/11, "We've realized that we are vulnerable, that people really do hate us, that people will do whatever they can to advance their cause at the expense of innocent people and we have to guard against this." He went on to say, "There was a lot of tension afterwards."

The unfortunate thing today is that as time goes by, as we get further from the events of that day we begin to forget. We will never forget what happened that day but we are forgetting our feelings, our emotions, and why the world has changed. Most of the younger Soldiers in the military today are post-Sept. 11 Soldiers. They joined soon after the attacks or the invasion in Iraq. Many of them were either in college or in their junior or senior years of high school when it happened. They were caught up in the fire and passion of wanting justice for their nation and its people and many have served several tours to Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. The youngest Soldiers in the military today were not even in middle school at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Seven years ago, today's 18-year-old Soldier was merely 11 years old and was in 5th or 6th grade. For the past few years of their memory, they have known the words al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden, Iraq, Afghanistan, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism. They cannot imagine a world where these things were not on the news or in topics of discussion. They have grown up in a world where terror was always there.

A memorable image for Col. Jolly happened days after the attacks. "I remember playing softball and the day that they allowed planes to start flying again, we were out on the field and there was a plane flying over and everyone stopped playing and everyone looked up and watched that plane." This image is powerful in that though terror is always there, there is always hope.

• Date Taken: 09.13.2008
• Date Posted: 09.13.2008 08:56
• Story ID: 23595
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ