On September 11, 2001, at 8:46 AM, the world changed forever as the Twin Towers were attacked in an unprecedented act of terror. The events began to unfold when Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center, impacting right above the 91st floor. Initially, the shocking event left many in disbelief, wondering whether it was an unfortunate accident or if we were under attack. An eerie silence enveloped the scene, and confusion reigned.

In the wake of the first attack, first responders sprang quickly into action, racing to aid those who were trapped in the chaos. However, at 9:03 AM, the horror escalated when Flight 175 collided with the South Tower, confirming the fear that had begun to take root: America was under attack. President Bush was informed of the second impact just two minutes after it occurred, marking a pivotal moment in history.

While the towers were in flames, at 9:37, Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. Over one hundred and twenty-five military personnel and civilians were killed. Every civilian continued to stand and watch in horror as the event happened. At 9:59, the South Tower had fallen. A huge cloud of smoke, dust, and debris covered New York for miles. Just a couple of minutes later, Flight 93 was taken over by civilians to regain control and crashed into a Pennsylvania field, its actual target unclear.

First responders continued to try and get everyone out of the towers safely. The flames grew higher, and as smoke continued to thicken, the higher floors became impossible to reach. Many civilians were seen jumping out of the windows as a way to escape.

In total, 2,996 people sadly passed in the 9/11 attacks. 343 of those deaths were firefighters, many and most of whom were in and around the towers when they fell. First responders searched for weeks to see if there were any survivors and ended up finding 18 people in all the rubble. They are the true heroes.

Here in Herrin, there are a couple of events to honor the people who have lost their lives in the attack. Fire Chief Shawn Priddy said, “ We display the large flag from our Aerial Ladder truck on 9/11 to honor all the lives lost on that day, but especially our brother and sister firefighters.”.

There is also an event at SIU called the 9/11 Saluki Stair Climb Tribute.

Participants climb 110 flights of stairs, representing the 110 floors that were in each of the World Trade Center buildings. On the SIU website, it says that this event is “an annual workout that the Air Force and the Army cadets go out of their way and carry out to honor those who have lost their lives in this very tragic event.” We must remember and never forget the events of that day.