Never Forget-A Tribute to the September 11 Attacks

Another September 11 is coming up. The date 9/11 is a crucial trigger for bereaved families and survivors, who are reminded of the horrific events of the terror attack. This year will mark the 18th anniversary of the September 11 attacks which killed 2996 people and injured 6000 others.

The “Tribute in Light” in New York City, is installed for 24 hours on 9/11 every year representing the Twin Towers to commemorate the September 11 attacks. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero is another installation that pays tribute. The waterfalls found there symbolize the loss of life and victims’ names are inscribed on

parapets.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists related to the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger aircraft. Two planes struck the Twin Towers, a third plane was flown into the Pentagon, and the fourth plane crashed into a field after the hijackers struggle with passengers trying to stop the terrorist attack.

Willian Eisengrein, a firefighter from the 343 NYC Firefighters who died in action because of 9/11, said, “I lost 100 friends that day. When I saw the plane crash into the towers, I said, ‘Alright, I have to go to work’” A survivor, Deborah Weiss, said the following, “It was a ghost town, the few people on the street wore masks and had tears in their eyes” A lot of the survivors are still suffering from PTSD and other aftereffects related to the 9/11 attacks.

Right after 9/11 many countries all over the world condemned the terror attack and many airlines suffered financially including United Airlines, Ansett Australia Airline, Swiss Air, etc. The massive effect of 9/11 is still on going. For example, there’s a continuing war in Afghanistan, and airport security has gotten a lot stricter. Also, the U.S. Government proclaimed anti-terrorist legislation called the Patriot Act that would significantly strengthen the powers of law enforcement departments in all areas of society. After the attacks on 9/11, Islamophobia became socially intensified; thus, the incidence of hate crimes against Muslims in America increased dramatically.

Though 9/11 happened almost two decades ago, there are still physical and emotional wounds remaining among many people. The reason for remembering and knowing about this incident is that a massive number of deaths occurred and a terror attack is an event that can happen anywhere in the world including Korea . In addition to the 9/11 attack, the worldwide news has brought us stories of the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the November 2015 Paris attacks. The Pharos strongly encourages students in Kyonggi University to take time to remember this tragic event on this upcoming September 11.

73rd Cub Reporter KIM YOONSEONG bosoonge00@gmail.com