Twenty-two years ago, nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists wielding box cutters hijacked four commercial jet aircraft and deployed them as guided missiles to slam into three major American landmarks.
The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were destroyed, and the Pentagon sustained major damage. Close to 3,000 innocent civilians were slaughtered during this infamous preemptive strike against America’s heart and soul.
The fourth plane (Flight 93) was headed toward the Capitol building or White House before a few brave passengers refused to surrender to powerless fatalism. They declared, “Let’s roll,” and stormed the cockpit, forcing the hijackers to crash the airliner near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. These fearless civilians sacrificed themselves in order to prevent greater carnage in the nation’s capital.
I vividly recall that clear Tuesday morning as I was driving to work listening to the radio. Sketchy details poured in throughout the day, and for weeks more facts unfolded. Like most others during that horrific time, I felt surges of anger and sadness over this atrocity.
However, the unforgettable courage and determination of civilians, firefighters, paramedics, and police were awe-inspiring. They risked their lives in the dust and fire to save so many fellow human beings from probable death. Over the next few weeks, hundreds of personal narratives came to light that illustrated the indestructible resilience of the human spirit.
I remember President George W. Bush paying homage to the fallen and the rescuers. He was standing with the firefighters amidst the rubble proclaiming through a bullhorn how the planners of the attack would be hearing from us soon. He later noted that these terrorists would either be brought to justice, or justice would be brought to them.
Within a few weeks, coordinated attacks were conducted in Afghanistan against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, who were harboring key al-Qaeda leaders. The war continues to this day as the Afghan people strive to forge their brand of democracy, progress, and the rule of law against a resurgent Taliban.
Over the past two decades, al-Qaeda has been beaten back in most areas as high value targets have been captured or killed. However, it has become more decentralized, and its offshoots remain threats to the region and to Western civilization.
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