Twenty years later.
I remember, like it happened yesterday.
9-11 was a hinge event in history. Find out why by watching our Truth in Two (full text below).
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Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat, Photo by Aidan Bartos on Unsplash
FULL TEXT
I remember like it was yesterday. We all watched in horror as two planes destroyed the twin towers in New York City. I remember the walk to the train station – I was living and working in Chicago at the time – as a city was being emptied of its people. The sound of a sonic boom erupted above me as fighter jets flew over Chicago, another potential, terrorist target. Arriving home, I discovered all of America was glued to its television sets, wondering what had just happened. We learned of another plane, Flight 93, downed in the hinterland of Pennsylvania; only later did we learn of the valiant sacrifice of the first patriots to die in what we would call “the war on terror.” I was scheduled to speak in 25 cities that school year. My first trip was scheduled for later that month of September 2001. Chicago’s O’Hare airport was a ghost town. Being on planes in those days, I would overhear men tell the stewardesses ahead of takeoff, “If there is any trouble let me know.” President George W. Bush joined first responders in New York City days after the attack, uttering those famous words, “The people who knocked down these buildings will be hearing from all of us soon!” Cheers and tears overwhelmed many of us. We were no longer hyphenated-Americans. A new slogan was born, “United We Stand.” America was united in resolve against a common enemy. The world changed on September 11th, 2001. Historians call events such as these, “hinges of history.” The awfulness of that day will always be remembered by Americans like me. We will not forget the sacrifices of soldiers who were triumphant in the war on terrorism. On this twentieth anniversary of 9-11 we pause, praying that “United We Stand,” continues. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally remembering history, that we might learn from the past.