Innocence Lost: Reflections on the Twentieth Anniversary of 9/11

A Prelude to Disaster

As I reflect on the past twenty years, it feels like a blur. Where has all the time gone?! As I think back, I remember a more placid, more optimistic America that was riding an economic boom from the Clinton years. We survived the Y2K scare, George W. Bush was in the first year of his presidency, and boy bands were all the rage. Those were blissfully heady times! However, a few weeks prior to the events of September 11, 2001, the untimely death of R&B singer and actress, Aaliyah, on August 25, 2001, in hindsight, felt like a harbinger of a tragedy of far greater magnitude. The impact of that tragedy has been and will continue to reverberate for generations to come. This is my story from that fateful day.

Blindsided

I was a nineteen-year-old college sophomore, who decided to leave my eventual alma mater, Southern Adventist University, for a year and take classes at a local community college in Orlando, Florida, to save money. September 11, 2001, started as a beautiful, cloudless Tuesday morning, with clear, azure skies and a tinge of autumn in the air, not too different from what I imagine New Yorkers experienced that fateful morning. I had a class later that day, so I rolled out of bed and went about my normal routine. The house seemed quieter than normal, so I decided to find out who was home. As I entered the living room, I saw my mother sitting on the couch, transfixed to the television. I thought that was odd, because my mother usually does not sit that close to, nor is that intensely interested in the television. However, as I turned my gaze to the television screen, I eventually understood why.

Is This Really Happening?

I saw scenes that defied my logical comprehension, so I subconsciously started to ask myself a series of questions: Why are the Twin Towers on fire? Why did planes fly into the towers? Why are people falling out of the towers? My naivete, which I believe came with being an American who was, up until that point, generally ignorant of international terrorism, initially caused that tragic day’s events to seem more like a bad dream than reality.

America experienced terrorism on its soil before 9/11, two notable examples being the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, but we had never experienced such evil, destruction, and utter disdain for human life than the seismic events of that Tuesday morning. Since then, America has fallen victim to other several other terrorist attacks, such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, the 2015 San Bernardino massacre, and the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, not to mention a frightening yet increasing number of mass shootings. However, America was not at war on September 11, 2001, nor was it attacked by a military force, but by a loose coalition of individuals brought together by an ideology that seeks America’s destruction, led by a former ally against the Soviet Union, Osama bin Laden.

Incalculable Loss

Almost 3,000 people perished during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and over 1,400 first responders and others who did not die that day, but were affected by its aftermath—primarily those who inhaled the toxic fumes that lingered for months—have perished since then, due to cancer, respiratory illness, suicide, and a myriad of other causes; however, the loss from that day cannot be quantified. Our world would never be the same.

I can imagine that the people we lost that day woke up thinking that it was just like any other workday; they started their morning routine and made their way to work. There were people who just started a new job and were trying to make a good impression, there were people who were just a few days, weeks, or months from retirement, and were looking forward to spending more time with their family, there were those who were not normally at the office, but just happened to be there that morning, there were firefighters and law enforcement officers, who were on their way home from working a long overnight shift, only to turn around when duty called. No one started that day knowing it would be their last.

Windows on the World Restaurant (1985), North Tower, 107th Floor, World Trade Center; Image: ? New York Economic Development Corporation, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

On a day that started so peacefully, I wonder what went through the victims’ minds when they were suddenly caught up in a conflict that they wanted no part of? One moment, they were looking outside of the window of the aircraft, gazing at the verdant landscape below, the next moment, they were witnessing flight attendants and fellow passengers being attacked by hijackers. One moment, they were sitting in a cubicle or a corner office, the next moment there was a huge explosion and their office is engulfed in smoke and flames.

Personally, the most traumatic images from that day were seeing people falling from the towers. I cannot fathom the thought of being in a situation so dire, so horrific, that I was faced with the choice to either stay where I am and be burned alive or jump to my death. Neither can I fathom the mental anguish of those who were caught on the upper floors of the towers, or on a hijacked plane and could not escape. Many victims were able to call and speak to or leave voicemails for loved ones, but for others the last person they spoke to, in their quest to find emergency assistance, was a stranger who became a confidant in their last moments, promising to convey their final message to their family.

Where Do We Go from Here?

Twenty years have passed. There are children who have grown up without a mother or a father, fathers who could not walk their daughter down the aisle for their wedding, and mothers who miss their son’s embrace.?Some children of the victims were born after the tragedy, so they will only ever get to know their deceased parent through photos, videos, and the fond memories of those they left behind. Cousins, uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, nephews, nieces, grandparents, fiancés, spouses, no matter the relation, they are missed, and they all mattered, not only to their grieving families but to all of us.

I cannot say that we live in a better world than we did before September 11, 2001, quite the contrary. Ever increasing wars, natural disasters, terrorism, and political, social, and racial unrest, not to mention a global pandemic, have blighted the United States of America and our world since that terrible day. The nonpartisan patriotism and filial unity we saw in America after 9/11 have long since gone, and a climate of fear, ignorance, and anarchy has begun to manifest. After 9/11, we were unified in our purpose to defeat the scourge of international terrorism, but now it seems like the enemy has become our fellow Americans, and those who seek to come here for a better life. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

I believe the best way that we can move forward and honor the memory of those we lost is to not only keep their memory alive but embrace what they represented, which is what makes America great: unity in diversity. They came from all walks of life, countries of origin, religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, but in their darkest hour, they came together to comfort one another, call loved ones, help colleagues and strangers down the stairwells, help open doors that were jammed or locked so more people could escape, and even the extraordinary feat of nearly retaking control of hijacked Flight 93, which was destined to attack either the U.S. Capitol or the White House.

We owe it to them, and to ourselves, to appreciate each new day, to love each other, and to help make a better, more peaceful world for ourselves and for the generations to come.

National September 11 Memorial, North Pool; Credit: Luigi Novi, License: CC0 1.0

About the Author

Ben Corriette is a native of Orlando, Florida, who is currently a Ph.D. student in Computer Science and research assistant at Howard University. He is a graduate of Southern Adventist University and Northern Caribbean University. Ben’s primary research interests are Human-Computer Interaction and Accessibility; he looks forward to leveraging leading-edge technology to improve the quality of life for the disabled.