Yellow Ribbon America

Yellow Ribbon America News Desk:

By Terri Moon Cronk

DoD News, Defense Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2017 — When the United States came under attack on Sept. 11, 2001, Americans turned their sorrow “into an unstoppable resolve to achieve justice” in the names of the fallen, President Donald J. Trump said at this morning’s Pentagon 9/11 Memorial observance.

“It was the worst attack on our country since Pearl Harbor, and even worse because this was an attack on civilians — innocent men, women, and children whose lives were taken so needlessly,” the commander in chief said.

Trump noted that for the more than 300 family members at the Pentagon anniversary today, not a single day goes by when they don’t think about the loved ones stolen from their lives. “Today, our entire nation grieves with you and with every family of those 2,977 innocent souls who were murdered by terrorists 16 years ago,” he said.

Sanctified Grounds Prove Unity

“The [sanctified] grounds on which we stand today are a monument to our national unity and to our strength,” Trump said. “For more than seven decades, the Pentagon has stood as a global symbol of American might — not only because of the great power contained within these halls, but because of the incredible character of the people who fill them. They secure our freedom, they defend our flag, and they support our courageous troops all around the world.”

Among the 184 Americans who perished at the Pentagon were young enlisted service members, dedicated civil servants who had worked In the Pentagon for decades and veterans who served the U.S. in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, he said, adding that all of them loved their nation and pledged their lives to protect it.

“That September morning, each of those brave Americans died as they had lived: as heroes doing their duty and protecting us and our country. We mourn them, we honor them, and we pledge to never, ever forget them,” Trump said.

Flight 77 Passengers Remembered

Trump also paid tribute to those who boarded American Airlines Flight 77 at Washington Dulles International Airport that morning, minutes before it slammed into the Pentagon’s west side.

“Every one of them had a family, a story and beautiful dreams. Each of them had people they loved and who loved them back. And they all left behind a deep emptiness that their warmth and grace once filled so fully and so beautifully,” he said.

The living, breathing soul of America wept with grief for every life taken on that day, Trump said. “We shed our tears in their memory, pledged our devotion in their honor, and turned our sorrow into an unstoppable resolve to achieve justice in their name.”

The terrorists who attacked the United States thought they could incite fear and weaken the spirit of the nation, he noted, adding, “But America cannot be intimidated, and those who try will soon join the long list of vanquished enemies who dared to test our mettle.”

Terrorists Can’t Break U.S. Resolve

Terrorists tried to break Americans’ resolve when they attacked the Pentagon, Trump said, adding, “But where they left a mark with fire and rubble, Americans defiantly raised the Stars and Stripes — our beautiful flag, that for more than two centuries has graced our ships, flown in our skies, and led our brave heroes to victory after victory in battle; the flag that binds us all together as Americans who cherish our values and protect our way of life.”

Woven into the American flag is the story of the nation’s resolve, he said.

“We have overcome every challenge — every single challenge, every one of them — we’ve triumphed over every evil, and remained united as one nation under God. America does not bend. We do not waver. And we will never, ever yield,” Trump said.

At the Pentagon 9/11 memorial, he said, with hearts both sad and determined, the nation honors every hero who keeps Americans safe and free, and they pledge to work together, to fight together, and to overcome together every enemy and obstacle in the country’s path.

“Our values will endure,” Trump said. “Our people will thrive. Our nation will prevail. And the memory of our loved ones will never, ever die.”

Picture: From left, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald J. Trump face the flag during the 9/11 Observance Ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Sept. 11, 2017. During the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, 184 people were killed at the Pentagon.

DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley

On September 11, 2001, 19 Islamic Militants with the Islamic Terrorist group Al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.

On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed 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 near the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack.

Did You Know? September 11, 2001, was the deadliest day in history for New York City firefighters: 343 were killed.

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 country 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 ordinary commuter jets into guided missiles.

As millions watched the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to the structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.

Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke. The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 miles per hour and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m., the other Trade Center tower collapsed. Close to 3,000 people died in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 others were treated for injuries, many severe.

Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane–United Flight 93–was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Air phone calls to the ground. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection. One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett Jr., told his wife over the phone that “I know we’re all going to die. There’s three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey.” Another passenger–Todd Beamer–was heard saying “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll” over an open line. Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to him were “Everyone’s running to first class. I’ve got to go. Bye.”

The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All 45 people aboard were killed. Its intended target is not known, but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard.

At 7 p.m., President George W. Bush, who had spent the day being shuttled around the country because of security concerns, returned to the White House. At 9 p.m., he delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, declaring, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared, “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”

Operation Enduring Freedom, the American-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network based there, began on October 7. Within two months, U.S. forces had effectively removed the Taliban from operational power, but the war continued, as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to defeat a Taliban insurgency campaign based in neighboring Pakistan. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks, remained at large until May 2, 2011, when he was finally tracked down and killed by U.S. forces at a hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In June 2011.

Story from: http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks