On Monday, September 11, for the 22nd consecutive year the names of the 2,977 innocent souls, murdered by 19 Muslim extremist terrorists who skyjacked four American airplanes with the express purpose of inflicting as much damage as possible against people, property, and the body politic, will be read.
The reading of those names will only be interrupted by the peal of bells serving as a reminder of the exact time the dastardly deeds of evil were perpetrated. But most of us need no reminder – we bore witness to these homicidal tragedies, lost friends and/or loved ones. Undoubtedly there isn’t a person who was alive on that fateful September 11, 2001 who hasn’t a connection to that day and who doesn’t carry the scars of history with them.
For the 22nd year we will pay homage and respect to the fallen who were murdered by Muslim extremist terrorists on that clear, crisp, Tuesday morning when the screaming airplanes permeated the sunshine, penetrated their steel and glass targets, plunging the world into darkness and chaos.
But are we forgetting?
On August 23, 2023 – less than three weeks ago, DailyMail.com reported that the “architect of 9/11 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and fellow co-conspirators may be spared the death penalty under a new plea deal being considered by the federal government.” They would plead guilty – actually admit their guilt in exchange for having their lives spared.
Yes, the American system of justice is a compassionate one, but not everybody deserves compassion. Just ask Frank Siller, founder and Chairman/CEO of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. “They deserve no leniency. No plea deal should be entertained,” said Siller. “I, personally, want to see them rot in jail for the rest of their lives, but not in the luxury that they’re in – in a small prison cell with absolutely no amenities whatsoever. They’re going to burn in hell for what they have done,” continued Siller.
“I don’t represent everybody’s feelings on this, but I talked to many 9/11 family members, and they are outraged – to say the least. It’s not just the 2,977 souls that were taken from us on 9/11. There was a firefighter that died the other day – Kevin Kelly – he was the 338th firefighter [who] died since 9/11 – and there’s been thousands of other men and women who were down there, trying to recover my brother and their brothers – that have died of 9/11 illnesses,” said Siller.
Frank’s youngest brother, Stephen, was a firefighter who, having just come off the previous night’s shift, heard about the towers being struck and he did what any loyal firefighter would do – headed right back to work. Upon reaching the closed to traffic Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Stephen Siller strapped on his gear and ran the remaining three kilometers through that tunnel. He successfully made one trip in and out of the South Tower. Unfortunately, his second trip into the South Tower was less successful. Stephen Siller, 34, was one of more than 330 firefighters to lose their lives on and since September 11, 2001.
To this day, there are thousands of first responders who have contracted life-threatening illnesses related to the many weeks spent working at Ground Zero. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is perhaps best known for providing “mortgage-free homes to catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, and families with young children that lost a parent in the line of duty or to 9/11 illness.”
A brief timeline of the harrowing and disturbing events of September 11, 2001:
Between 7:59 AM and 8:42 AM four flights depart Boston’s Logan, Washington’s Dulles, and Newark airports, headed for Los Angeles except the Newark flight, headed to San Francisco.
8:46 AM: American Airlines flight #11 is flown into #1 World Trade Center – the North Tower – by five Muslim extremist hijackers murdering the 11 crew, 76 passengers and hundreds inside the tower instantly.
9:03 AM: United Airlines flight #175 is flown into #2 World Trade Center – the South Tower – by five Muslim extremist hijackers murdering the nine crew, 51 passengers, and hundreds inside the tower instantly.
9:05 AM: President George W. Bush is alerted to what is now believed to be terrorist attacks. “Terrorism against our nation will not stand,” said Bush.
9:37 AM: American Airlines flight #77 is flown into the Pentagon in Arlington, VA by five Muslim extremist hijackers murdering the six crew, 53 passengers, as well as 125 military and civilian personnel on the ground.
9:59 AM: The South Tower collapses in 10 seconds after burning for 56 minutes. More than 800 civilians and first responders are murdered.
10:03 AM: United Airlines flight #93 crashes into a field in Shanksville, PA when passengers and crew storm the cockpit. There are no survivors of the seven crew and 33 passengers due to the murderous plot by the four Muslim extremist hijackers. Flight #93 was 20 minutes from Washington, DC where the White House or the Capitol Building were the presumed targets.
10:15 AM: The damaged section of the Pentagon E-Ring collapses.
10:28 AM: The North Tower collapses after burning for 102 minutes. More than 1,600 civilians and first responders are murdered.
8:30 PM: President George W. Bush addresses the nation.
Tunnel to Towers (www.t2t.org) is a most worthy charity which to contribute. I do not work for the charity. I do not benefit in any way from this charity other than to know that as a contributor, my donation and yours, should you make one, is used at a rate of 95.1 percent for the programs, such as paying the aforementioned mortgages. Don’t take my word for it – visit www.charitynavigator.org.
May the memories of the 2,977 murdered on September 11, 2001 always be for a blessing. This must never be forgotten.
Executing them – even at this late date – makes them martyrs to a still existing if defanged cause. Forcing them to admit guilt and then keeping them in jail the rest of their lives makes them cowards to that same movement, men not worthy of emulating. One of those outcomes is better for our long-term national security then the other.Report
This morning my girlfriend remembered that it was 9/11. She was working and living in NYC at the time and happened to be very near the WTC when the planes hit the buildings. For her the experience is very vivid and personal.
On 9/11/01 I was in Chicago and didn’t even know about the disaster until both towers had already fallen. I had walked my two kids to the school bus stop, returned home, and was straightening up the house when I flicked on the radio and heard the news.
The point of these 2 anecdotes is to highlight the difference in reaction. 9/11 has always seemed to me to be a local tragedy, albeit on an immense scale. Had the plane that came down in PA reached its intended destination I’d probably feel a bit differently.
I wonder if our bungled handling of the aftermath has anything to do with the way I feel.Report
I think you may be on to something . . . .Report
It’s very true for me.
BTW, I presume the reason a plea deal for KSM is being sought is that he can’t be convicted at trial; too much of the evidence is inadmissible because it was obtained via torture. (Remember when willingness to torture was a measure of patriotism?)Report
I wonder the same. I was still in Florida when it happened. It was a big deal, but I was more worried about what it meant regarding follow up attacks and whether or not we would end up in a long-term war. Now, it is not something I give a lot of thought to beyond noticing the date and thinking “oh, yeah, that happened.” I think for people in NY, it is much more personal because it happened in their home, and there is a good chance they know somebody who died or was involved in the rescue and cleanup, making it much more “real” to them.Report
I wrote this on the 10 year anniversary and I’m mostly noting that the Israel/Palestine thing that had everybody’s attention from 2000 through… 2018? When they moved the Embassy and the backlash to that died down?
That’s pretty much evaporated now (not the problem, mind… just the preoccupation).
And we’re still taking off our shoes at the airport.Report
Are we forgetting? Yes. Humans forget. Be at ease; it is a blessing more than it is a curse.Report
Thank you for adding this. It would be much worse than better if we were all running around with the same mindset we had 9/12 and I think that mentality pretty clearly resulted in much more bad than good over the years that immediately followed. From the macro view we probably cut at least a decade, maybe more, off from our unipolar moment to chase phantoms.Report
W remains, in my books, the most cataclysmically destructive President, policy wise, in modern times. The Orange man doesn’t come close (yet).Report
It’s good that we’ve forgotten much of our initial bloodlust. Hopefully we’ll never forget the evil we did as a result of it.Report
None of my college students from now on will have actual memories of the event.
Some days I look at this, and the pandemic, and the Trump administration (and the very tail end of same) and wonder if I’ve lived too long; history is baffling now.
When Gen X and the elder Millennials are dead, there will be much less commemoration and that’s probably a good thingReport
I want to say that Pearl Harbor Day is wandering away. My grandparents made a point of it and my mom kind of makes a point of it (remembering her parents making a point of it).
I mostly remember it because of FDR’s speech. But it may as well be “Remember, remember the 9th of December, the Japanese Pearl Harbor plot…” at this point.Report