JG-TC.com > Opinion > COLUMN: Country has pushed on from chaotic day

TODAY'S HEADLINES

SPECIAL SECTION

ONLINE POLL

ONLINE EXTRAS

Shop Smart, Shop Local

SITE TOOLS

OTHER LINKS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Thursday, September 10, 2009 10:12 PM CDT
COLUMN: Country has pushed on from chaotic day

By BILL LAIR, Managing Editor
blair@jg-tc.com

After eight years, it is easy to forget the shock and horror of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“Attack on America” was the banner headline on the front page of the next morning’s Journal Gazette and Times-Courier.

“In the most devastating terrorist onslaught ever waged against the United States, knife-wielding hijackers crashed two airliners into the World Trade Center on Tuesday, toppling its twin 110-story towers. The deadly calamity was witnessed on televisions across the world as another plane slammed into the Pentagon and a fourth crashed outside Pittsburgh,” read the first paragraph of the Associated Press article we printed in the Sept. 12 editions.

“‘Today, our nation saw evil,’ President Bush said in an address to the nation Tuesday night.

“Said Adm Robert J. Natter, commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet: ‘We have been attacked like we haven’t since Pearl Harbor.’

“Establishing the death toll could take weeks,” the AP article said.

The unofficial death toll from that day has been put at 2,993 people — airline passengers, military and civilian workers at the Pentagon, people who worked at the WTC and emergency responders.

“It was the stuff of cheap adventure novels or action movies,” then-JG/T-C Publisher Dave Simpson wrote. “But it was really happening.”

Much has happened in the past eight years. Our nation is at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the suspected hijackers were killed in the terrorist attack, Osama bin Laden, the man believed to have been behind the attack, has never been captured.

One headline in the morning-after Journal Gazette and Times-Courier read: “Analysts suggest economy may go into recession after terrorist attack.”

As we all know, the economy slumped after the attacks, rebounded for awhile, then sank again.

Do you remember where you were when you first heard of the attacks?

I was in Buzzard Hall at Eastern Illinois University, finishing up an early morning class.

Doug Lawhead, a former JG/T-C photographer who works at Eastern stopped by the classroom to report that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

I didn’t think much of it. I assumed it was a small private plane, and an unfortunate accident.

A few minutes later, however, I learned that a second plane crashed into the other WTC tower. Then, another airliner slammed into the Pentagon while another commercial airliner then crashed into a field southeast of Pittsburgh.

Steven Roper, an EIU professor of European politics, told one of our staff writers that day that the attacks “will change our lives forever.

“This is a turning point in U.S. history,” Roper said. “Truth be told, this is chaos.”

Roper, who formerly taught in New York City, said people in Coles County could not imagine the size of the World Trade Center, which was gone. He said the WTC took up a space about the size of EIU’s entire campus.

There was a run at gas stations here that day. Cars were lined in the streets as motorists tried to fill up because they were afraid there would be no more gas.

Some stations doubled the price of gas in minutes after the attacks because of the rush.

Community Blood Services of Illinois, which supplies blood primarily to hospitals in East-Central Illinois, saw a tremendous turnout of EIU students at its regularly-scheduled blood drive on Sept. 11.

CBSI had a goal of 85 units of blood that day. Instead, more than 300 people showed up to give blood and more than 150 units were collected. About half of the blood collected was sent to New York.

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights shortly after the terrorist incidents.

A Seattle-bound U.S. Airways flight from Philadelphia was diverted to Willard Airport at Champaign because it was the nearest airport when all planes were ordered to get out of the sky.

Sept. 11, 2001, was the first day in history that all U.S. airports were closed.

Hundreds of Coles County residents attended prayer services that evening in various churches.

It is easy to forget the pain and also the bond that just about everyone felt.

When I was young, I heard older folks talk about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I sometimes thought they should stop dwelling on the past and concentrate on the present and the future.

But I think those folks also wanted us to know what a stunning event it was.

The 9/11 attacks also were stunning and horrific. It’s easy to forget the shock, chaos and helpless feeling that most of us felt on that day.

As a community and as a nation, we rallied after Sept. 11.

We saw more reasons we could be united rather than dwell on what so often divides us.

Much has happened in the last eight years. But it hasn’t been all war and recession.

Our family, for one, has enjoyed two weddings and the birth of five grandchildren since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Terrorism has changed society but it hasn’t deterred young people from creating hope and building their own futures.

Add your comments

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login? (requires cookies)
	Forgot Your Password?

Not already registered?
Then click Here.

Comment policy:

JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.

In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.

We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.

No comment may contain:

* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.

If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.

Harry Potter wrote on Sep 11, 2009 6:24 PM:

" After eight years, it is easy to forget the shock and horror of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

You hit the nail on the head with that one, Bill. The fact that no one has posted on this thread seems to underscore your comment. "

JWT wrote on Sep 11, 2009 11:28 PM:

" Makes you wonder what would have happened if Bush wouldn't have got away with stealing the 2000 election? "

~STRANGER~ wrote on Sep 12, 2009 9:10 AM:

" THE united states government THRIVES ON TERROR. "

Beaches wrote on Sep 13, 2009 6:55 PM:

" I haven't forgotten the feeling of September 11, 2001. While watching some of the news programs from that day I felt the same empty feeling in the pit of my stomach, the only thing missing was the complete sense of shock. All those lives lost, and the countless lives changed forever by those acts of terrorism against the United States. It was my generations Pearl Harbor - an attack directly on our soil. Changed my outlook forever and made me believe more strongly that something has to be done to keep that from happening on our soil again. "

what wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:48 PM:

" Bush used 9/11 to lead us to the brink of catastrofic self destruction, we're precariously perched there now, Bin Laden has to be gloating. "

Billie Brant wrote on Sep 13, 2009 11:55 PM:

" I'll always remember that day Harry and the horrible images I saw on TV. I'll also remember all the acts of heroism I witnessed that day also... I remember the anger I felt towards the terrorist scum that did this... I remember how many of us put aside our differences and pulled together if only for a little while... I'll remember the story of those brave souls who shouted "Let's roll" on that ill fated flight that ended up in a field in Pennslyvania which in all probability saved even more American lives. True heroes all! ... I agree with you Beaches...Yes Harry my good friend, I'll always remember it. I don't find it easy to forget. Likewise, I'll always remember where and what I was doing at the time President Kennedy was reported to have been shot, and later hearing he had died. ...Those two events are burned into my memory and heart forever. "

The Question wrote on Sep 14, 2009 7:19 AM:

" Yes, using the excuse of 9-11, we've launched two invasions, one of them based entirely on lies. The conflicts have been twice as long as World War II so far, cost trillions borrowed by the taxpayers, killed thousands of U.S. troops, and piled up hundreds of thousands of bodies of people whose families and friends will hate the U.S. for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9-11 attacks, remains as free as an Afghan Snowfinch. Great job of "rallying" there. "

Becky wrote on Sep 14, 2009 3:50 PM:

" I will never "push on" until the hundreds of unanswered questions out there get answered and SOMEBODY PAYS for this crime against America and humanity itself. NEVER!!! "

father bob wrote on Sep 14, 2009 6:40 PM:

" Becky wrote on Sep 14, 2009 3:50 PM:

" I will never "push on" until the hundreds of unanswered questions out there get answered and SOMEBODY PAYS for this crime against America and humanity itself. NEVER!!! """""

well said. "

what wrote on Sep 14, 2009 7:12 PM:

" I too remember that horrible day well. What ensued, particularly the evil lying conspiracy that used that tragedy to justify the unwarranted ciminal invasion of Iraq is equally etched upon my mind, forever. It seems to me that both are part of the same lesson. "

Harry Potter wrote on Sep 14, 2009 8:16 PM:

" Me too, Billie. My wife and I went through some terrible moments that morning, but nothing like the sheer horror my daughter went through. My son in law was a daily train commuter into the city and the station he exited from was in the lower section of the twin towers. It was several hours before she know what was going on. Thankfully he was in and out of the towers when the planes hit. My daughters biggest fear was that his train might have been delayed. Communication was rather messy from the city that day and it was several hours before my son in law was able to let my daughter know he was OK. They were running extra ferries from lower Manhattan that morning to the Jersey shore, and my son in laws employer sent everyone home. There was a lot of smoke and debris in the air, and having asthma problems he had to pull his t shirt up over his mouth to breathe. An elderly gentleman on the ferry ride asked my son in law if he needed to call someone and handed his his cell phone. This was great because he had left his at home that morning. One of my granddaughters good friends lost both her parents that day, and the school my grandkids attended had about 40 kids personally affected. That little jersey shore town was greatly affected by the events of that day.

Our phone was busy that morning so I ran home, and the second I walked in the door, me wife was crying but was able to get the words out that he was OK. I remember my knees buckling under me at that moment.

And like you Billie, the moment of JFK's assassination will forever be etched in my mind. I remember that day well too. I was in downtown El Paso Texas a few months before that and had the great personal pleasure of seeing him there. He was staying in a hotel in the downtown area, and kept coming out onto a balcony that night, and the crowd went absolutely nuts every time, cheering for him to come out again. He obliged several times. This went on until after midnight. The crowd just didn't want to leave.

Whether or not you agreed with his politics, it can't be denied we have never had a president with more charisma than JFK. The only one that could even come close was Reagan. "

Billie Brant wrote on Sep 14, 2009 8:50 PM:

" I can't begin to know the terror that must have been tearing at you and your familiy's very core that day Harry while waiting for news about your son-in-law. The closest thing I can compare it to was standing by my teenaged daughter's bedside hoping and praying she would come out of the coma she was in after a horrible car accident. Still, I was with her, not thousands of miles away as you were on that day. I'm sure you felt as many of us, we couldn't stand to watch and yet we couldn't stand not to.

I was very supportive of President Kennedy Harry. I felt extremem sadness when he was taken from us far too soon. "

jrhendren wrote on Sep 14, 2009 11:43 PM:

" The Question wrote on Sep 14, 2009 7:19 AM:
" Yes, using the excuse of 9-11, we've launched two invasions, one of them based entirely on lies. The conflicts have been twice as long as World War II so far, cost trillions borrowed by the taxpayers, killed thousands of U.S. troops, and piled up hundreds of thousands of bodies of people whose families and friends will hate the U.S. for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9-11 attacks, remains as free as an Afghan Snowfinch. Great job of "rallying" there. "

Sorry all the lies would be in your post. First Congress as well as other countries had the same intellegnce linking Iraq with AlQuada, including reports by the Clinton Administration. As you have been shown before. Clinton could have stopped it all by taking Bin Laden at different times, again shown to you before. We are still stationed in Germany, South Korea, Japan, and other military bases that came about during WWII. The United States was in WWII for four years. The United States lost 292,000 in WWII, fighting a war that had already been fought for two years without the United States. In four years the war in Iraq had a loss of 3000 brave American, in a war we were in at the beginning. It does not take a genius to realize more casualties at the beginning of a war then in the middle of a war. As for Bin Laden until we can get Pakistan to work with us then he will remain free. All reports say he is in the Pakistan mountains, but then again to bad Clinton didn't get him when he had the chance isn't it. "

jrhendren wrote on Sep 14, 2009 11:53 PM:

" Harry, wow the shear agony your family went through that day. No one could ever say "I understand your pain", except those who were there feeling it at that same time. Thank God, your son-in-law was safe. We all need to remember what happened our country that day, and not let politics and personal views get in the way. In the way of those innocent lives that were lost, just sitting there on a plane, or at their job. Those that lost their lives running into what most would run out. Those who sacrificed their lives to save numerous others. Whether you agree with the war, the former Presidents or the current President. Just REMEMBER THAT DAY!! "

Harry Potter wrote on Sep 15, 2009 10:00 AM:

" Thanks for you kind words Billie and jr. I should mention that much to our families relief our son in law was able to secure a transfer and no longer works in the city. He still commutes, but we feel better about his drive to Princeton. "