On Septemeber 11, 2001, in the course of two short hours, the world would change forever.
The freedom, security, the simple peace of mind most of us took for granted ended on that day when four planes were apprehended by terrorists and set a course that would change history.
I knew three people who perished at the Twin Towers, and so the feeling of loss is beyond just personal. The sad reality is that at least 2,985 people died in the attacks, including:
19 terrorists
2,966 victims [2,998 as of Spring 2009]
All but 13 people died on that day. The remaining 13 later died of their wounds.
As of this day, in 2009, over 800 people who worked at Ground Zero have since died or become deathly ill from numerous cancers, lung and respiratory diseases. This is suspected to have been caused by all the debris from the Twin Towers.
Many of those brave and selfish people have no subtantial healthcare benefits today.
Have the terrorists won?
And so the death toll from that tragic day continues, even now.
Terrorism is a hideous disease that keeps on infecting.
There were 266 people on the four planes:
American Airlines Flight 11 (crashed into the WTC): 92 (including five terrorists)
United Airlines Flight 175 (crashed into the WTC): 65 (including five terrorists)
American Airlines Flight 77 (crashed into the Pentagon): 64 (including five terrorists)
United Flight 93 (downed in Shanksville, PA): 45 (including four terrorists)
There were 2,595 people in the World Trade Center and near it, including:
343 NYFD firefighters and paramedics
23 NYPD police officers
37 Port Authority police officers
1,402 people in Tower 1
614 people in Tower 2
658 people at one company, Cantor Fitzgerald
1,762 New York residents
674 New Jersey residents
1 NYFD firefighter killed by a man jumping off the top floors of the Twin Towers
There were 125 civilians and military personnel at the Pentagon.
1,609 people lost a spouse or partner on 9/11. More than 3,051 children lost parents.
While it was mostly Americans who were killed in this horrific attack, there were also 327 foreign nationals. Here is the breakdown, according to country:
Argentina: 4
Australia: 11
Bangladesh: 6
Belarus: 1
Belgium: 1
Bermuda: 1
Brazil: 3
Canada: 27
Chile: 2
China: 4
Cote d'Ivoire: 1
Colombia: 17
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 2
Dominican Republic: 1
El Salvador: 1
Ecuador: 3
France: 1
Germany: 11
Ghana: 2
Guyana: 3
Haiti: 2
Honduras: 1
India: 1
Indonesia: 1
Ireland: 6
Israel: 5
Italy: 4
Jamaica: 16
Japan: 26
Jordan: 2
Lebanon: 3
Lithuania: 1
Malaysia: 7
Mexico: 16
Moldova: 1
Netherlands: 1
New Zealand: 2
Nigeria: 1
Panama: 2
Peru: 5
Philippines: 16
Portugal: 3
Poland: 1
Russia: 1
South Africa: 2
South Korea: 28
Spain: 1
Sweden: 1
Taiwan: 1
Ukraine: 1
Uzbekistan: 1
United Kingdom: 67
Venezuela: 1
This does not include the brave soliders who have perished in the aftermath of 9/11.
And so, Let Us Never Forget...
Freedom ISN'T Free!
May God Rest The Souls of Those Innocent Lives.
One Love.
Lin
