September 11th 2001

September 11th 2001

Tj Winfree
American Studies
Research Paper
May 7th 2010

September 11th, 2001: Attack on U.S.
Attacks in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan are heard everyday on the news and radio. War in the Middle east serves as a constant reminder to the death and destruction that goes on every single day. However, many Americans either do not care or are not affected by this matter because it was never brought to the United States. The people needed a wake up call to the constant fight for our freedom. September 11th 2001 will forever burn that fact into citizens of the United States of America. The events of the actual attack, the reactions of the citizens, and the reactions of the U.S. Government provide substantial evidence to why this date will never be forgotten.
On the dawn of September 11th, the sky was clear, and it looked like a beautiful fall day. At about 8 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 took off from Boston and headed to Los Angeles. 81 passengers and crewmembers were on board. The aircraft was heading west when, all of a sudden, it swerved sharply to south and headed toward New York. Ground controllers realized that, somewhere over Pennsylvania, terrorists had taken over the plane. The pilot pressed a secret button on the steering wheel of the aircraft. “Called a “push to-talk-button,” its function is to allow a pilot to keep both hands on the wheel while still communicating with those on the ground.” (Stewart, 11) The pilot had pushed the button repeatedly and gave those on the ground a chance to somewhat overhear what was going on. They even heard one of the terrorists clearly threatening him. Eventually, one of the flight attendants, Madeline Sweeney, called her supervisor back in Boston and tried to explain what was occurring. She told her supervisors that the terrorists looked Middle Eastern and had stabbed the other two flight attendants and slit the throat of a passenger in order to storm the cockpit. She was asked if she knew the new destination...

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