Today marks the 20-year anniversary since the terrorist attacks that shook the nation on September 11, 2001.
The attacks demolished the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center, caused substantial damage to the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 in rural Pennsylvania.
With a death toll of nearly 3,000 people and over 6,000 others injured, the 9/11 attacks remain the deadliest terrorist attacks in world history to date.
Many American citizens can recall exactly what they were doing and where they were on the day that the attacks took place.
“I was home and happened to still be in bed when it started,” Sandra Clinton, Senior Office Associate for the UW Dean of Students, said. “We had three little kids and I was homeschooling. My dad called and told me. Of course, we jumped up.”
The events that unfolded shocked viewers across the globe.
“It was something that we watched with horror as our country was attacked by terrorists,” Clinton said. “To this day, I’m devastated to think that happened.”
Many members of Generation Z have learned about 9/11 as something that happened after they were born or as something that they have no recollection of.
“I don’t personally remember 9/11. At the time of the attacks, I was pretty close to turning 2,” LCCC student Christian Nelms said. “I was too young to care what was happening. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized the magnitude of what that day was.”
“My youngest was not even four months old,” Clinton said. “They’ve grown up and been taught everything, but it’s just devastating that anyone younger than that doesn’t know what happened. It’s sad because it’s part of our history.”
In the days following 9/11, Americans joined together to pay tribute to victims and first responders. The phrase “United We Stand” was used as a symbol of resilience. Blood donations saw a massive increase.
“I think it impacted our national identity,” Nelms said. “It allowed people to come together under the idea that we’re Americans.”
“I believe it brought the country together,” Clinton said. “It was amazing to see how everyone supported New York, DC, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. Everyone was looking out for each other.”
In 2007, the World Trade Center was renamed the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The building features the names of all victims of the attacks and artifacts from the fateful day.
On Saturday, the Memorial & Museum will hold a 20th Anniversary Commemoration to recognize the victims of the attacks. The annual “Tribute in Light,” in which vertical searchlights represent the Twin Towers, will be held at sundown.
“What 9/11 remembrance means to me is to remember and mourn those lost, but also to remember what got us through such a tough tragedy in our national history,” said Nelms. “The men and women that make up the United States of America.”
