History provides us with many “where-were-you-when” moments. Some represent joyous events, while others strike at our hearts and become defining moments in our personal history and in the history of our nation. Almost by definition, the impact of these events is not limited to one generation.
This year, our nation marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. On that day, terrorists took the lives of nearly 3,000 people and forever changed the lives of countless families, communities, and Americans across the country.
As we commemorate this significant anniversary, we believe it is appropriate to revisit the reflections shared by Coalition staff five years ago on the 20th anniversary of September 11. Their memories capture the uncertainty, fear, grief, and resolve experienced that day and remind us of the deeply personal impact of an event that changed our nation and the world.
– – I was 9, in DC, in gym class that was outdoors when very dark, almost black, clouds started rolling in the distance. What came next was what seemed like an eternity of uncertainty, fear, and confusion.
– – I remember racing into town from Northern Virginia to pick up my son who was in daycare at the FDIC—right next to the Old Executive Office Building and the White House Complex. I got there, grabbed my son, and was on my way out when my wife walked in after having run across the mall from her office to get to the FDIC. I had parked the minivan at the rear of the Department of Interior and was able to do a U-turn and head out 66 to home. An enduring memory was seeing the smoke rise from the Pentagon as we crossed the Roosevelt Bridge into Virginia.
– – Many people in my Long Island town worked in the financial district. Some were from my high school. I wondered about their fate and the impact on our small community. I learned that almost 50 people were taken that day. If there were a funeral per day at the cathedral, it would take over a month to bury our dead.
– – Deciding, after the first plane hit, that it was going to be a long day, and I better go get a glass of water, I opened the door and saw hundreds of staff literally running out of the Russell Senate Office Building. I remember being told by the Capitol Police, “get out of here.”
– – We lived on the 15th floor of a high-rise apartment building, less than a mile from the Pentagon. When the third plane hit, our entire building shook as if we were experiencing an earthquake. We had a direct line of sight to the Pentagon and could see the flames and smoke billowing for hours – a vision and experience I will never forget.
– – My brother worked just a few blocks from the towers, and as soon as everyone realized what was happening, I tried calling him over and over for hours, but the phone networks were down. His building had been evacuated, and they were literally told to run for their lives. He ran for several miles in his dress shoes and suit and was finally able to get a call to connect in the early afternoon letting us know he was okay.
– – The kids and I were walking into the house after racing home from school and daycare. My daughter asked, “Daddy, are people going to come to our house and get us?” At that moment, as if on cue, a military jet thundered across the sky. We all looked up. To calm her, I said, “Don’t worry, honey. Do you hear that jet? We have the best military in the world. They will protect us.” I called my wife to let her know everyone was safe.
– – I was working for a foreign consulate office in Houston and heard the news during my morning commute. We worked in the tallest skyscraper downtown that was evacuated for fear that it was a target due to oil interests in the area. Our office was responsible for communicating with and ensuring that all the Japanese expats in Texas and Oklahoma were safe. We were an international team, mourning and in shock, all working to help one another through our grief.
– – After watching U.S. news non-stop, I wanted to know how the world was reacting. That night, I turned on my shortwave radio. The first voice I heard was that of British Prime Minister Tony Blair saying, “We, therefore, here in Britain, stand shoulder to shoulder with our American friends in this hour of tragedy.” I’ll never forget that moment. It demonstrated the fraternal solidarity that underpins our special relationship.
Twenty-five years later, we remember and honor those whose lives were taken on September 11, as well as the countless individuals who answered the call to protect our nation in the years that followed. We remember the members of our Armed Forces, intelligence community, law enforcement, diplomatic corps, and others across government who served in the War on Terror, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice and the veterans who continue to bear the physical and emotional wounds of their service.
We also remember that the response to September 11 was a shared effort among the United States and its allies. In the aftermath of the attacks, NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for the first and only time in its history, affirming that an attack against one ally was an attack against all. Over the years that followed, service members and citizens of allied nations also sacrificed their lives in the common effort to confront terrorism and defend our shared security.
As we mark this 25th anniversary, we hope that you will take time to remember all those we lost, honor all those who served and sacrificed, and reflect on the spirit of unity and common purpose that brought Americans and our allies together in the aftermath of September 11.