Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty. ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy January 20, 1961 Inaugural Address~
"A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. This enemy attacked not just our people, but all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world. The United States of America will use all our resources to conquer this enemy. We will rally the world. We will be patient, we will be focused, and we will be steadfast in our determination. This battle will take time and resolve. But make no mistake about it; we WILL win." ~ President George W.Bush September 11, 2001 ~
On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon were attacked by terrorists. Another attack was interrupted when the airplane crashed in Pennsylvania. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost and my deepest sympathies go to all the family and friends of these innocent souls.
Memories are forever etched in my mind.......I stood and watched on television, planes plow into the World Trade Center. I stood and watched the horrible explosions knowing that many innocent people were inside...people who thought this was to be just another normal Tuesday morning work day....I watched the towers tumble, debris going everywhere and the smoke fill what was to become "Ground Zero". I watched people running for their lives and screaming in terror. What an absolute nightmare....I will always remember the images, I will always remember the people who lost their lives, people who were innocent angels, people whose last seconds were filled with terror.
As the days wore on, other events filled my mind. The firefighters, police and many many others working so hard to help the survivors. The many brave men and women risking their own lives to save others. The New Yorkers coming together, becoming one family. The whole nation becoming one family as we all try to help our fellow Americans in New York. The prayer vigils all around the world. THIS IS WHAT AMERICA IS ALL ABOUT!!!! Extending our hand to help people in need. The people who committed this horrendous act accomplished nothing for their cause......what they did accomplish is make us and America stronger. God Bless America
TIMELINE
7:58 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 175 departs Boston for Los Angeles,
carrying 56 passengers, two pilots, and seven flight attendants. The
Boeing 767 is hijacked after takeoff and diverted to New York.
7:59 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 11 departs Boston for Los
Angeles, carrying 81 passengers, two pilots, and nine flight
attendants. This Boeing 767 is also hijacked and diverted to New York.
8:01 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 carrying 38
passengers, two pilots, and five flight attendants, leaves Newark, N.J.,
for San Francisco.
8:10 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 77 departs Washington's
Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles, carrying 58 passengers,
two pilots, and four flight attendants. The Boeing 757 is hijacked
after takeoff.
8:46 a.m. - American Flight 11 from Boston crashes into the North
Tower at the World Trade Center.
9:03 a.m. - United Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the South
Tower at the World Trade Center.
For the first time, The Federal Aviation Administration grounds all flights. The White House is evacuated and all other federal buildings are evacuated. The U.S. financial markets are closed.
9:21 a.m. - Bridges and tunnels leading into New York City
are closed.
9:45 a.m. - American Flight 77 crashes into The Pentagon.
10:05 a.m. - The South Tower at the World Trade Center collapses.
10:10 a.m. - A large section of one side of The Pentagon collapses.
10:10 a.m. - United Flight 93 crashes in a wooded area in
Pennsylvania, after passengers confront hijackers.
10:28 a.m. - The North Tower at the World Trade Center collapses.
WTC WAS MADE OF: 200,000 tons of steel, 425,000 cubic yards of concrete, 43,600 windows, 12,000 miles of electric cables, Had its own zip code, 10048
EACH TOWER: Had 110 floors, 208 ft by 208 ft at base, Weighed 500,000 tons, Was 1,368 ft high (north tower), Was 1,362 ft high (south tower), Contained 198 miles of heating ducts, 97 elevators for passengers, 6 for freight
Construction on the World Trade Center began in 1966 and cost an estimated $1.5 billion. One World Trade Center was ready for its first tenants in late 1970, though the upper stories were not completed until 1972; Two World Trade Center was finished in 1973. Excavation to bedrock 70 feet below produced the material for the Battery Park City landfill project in the Hudson River. When complete, the Center met with mixed reviews, but at 1,368 and 1,362 feet and 110 stories each, the twin towers were the world's tallest, and largest, buildings until the Sears Tower surpassed them both in 1974.
The new Freedom Tower," will retain the height of the earlier design -- at 1,776 feet, symbolizing the year the United States declared its independence. Its 200-foot base will be a reinforced concrete wall covered in steel and titanium.
But it will also include reminders of the twin towers it will replace. The roof above the public observation deck will be at 1,362 feet, the height of old South Tower, while a glass wall will rise 1,368 feet, the height of the old North Tower.
The new construction timetable calls for the steel frame to rise above street level in 2007 and be topped out in 2009, with the tower ready for occupancy in 2010. That's two years later than originally planned. No tenants, other than the governor and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the transportation agency that owns the site land, have expressed interest in moving offices into the tower. Groundbreaking will take place early next year, with construction scheduled to be finished in September 2009.
Through all this, we stand united. The bond has been strengthened. We will overcome.
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Click "NEXT" to see my Memorial Quilt"
If you came here via a Webring, you can click HERE to go back to my ring page.
Scrapkit used by: SCRAPPY EXPRESSIONS
Created 09/21/01
Updated 09/08/07
Created and maintained by
KK Graphics
