Today we celebrated a federally-recognized day of unity and charitable service. This day is observed annually throughout the United States and in other countries around the world on the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
According to MyGoodDeed, a non-profit organization who founded the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2002, the goal of “9/11 Day” is “to keep the spirit of unity alive and compassion that arose in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attack giving tribute to individuals who lost and who was injured in the attacks.
MyGoodDeed successfully led an effort to designate September 11 under federal law as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, which occurred as part of passage of the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act by the United States Congress, and later, by an amendment to the Patriot Day Presidential Proclamation by President Barack Obama, which formally recognized and established September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.
So, today, celebrate this day by joining nearly 30 million Americans who annually remembers this day and continues to do various forms of charitable service, including volunteering, donating to charities, or just do a simple good deed. We can reflect the lives that were lost on this day, and always remember that life is short and that we are all brothers in hearts and in spirit.
2001 Attack on America
At 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767—United Airlines Flight 175—appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center, and sliced into the south tower at about the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack.
The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly financed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda terrorist organization, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for America’s support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War, and its continued military presence in the Middle East. Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools. Others had slipped into the U.S. in the months before September 11 and acted as the “muscle” in the operation. The 19 terrorists easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports and boarded four flights bound for California, chosen because the planes were loaded with fuel for the long transcontinental journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls, transforming the ordinary commuter jets into guided missiles.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/attack-on-america)
