September 11, 2001 - 12 Year Anniversary

Today marks the 12th anniversary of the worst attack on the United States. I can't believe that twelve years have passed since that tragic day. It is with every post that I write every year that I have such a heavy heart.

Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers took control of four commercial airliners (two Boeing 757 and two Boeing 767) en route to San Francisco or Los Angeles after takeoffs from Boston, Massachusetts, Newark, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. Large planes with long flights were intentionally selected for hijacking because they would be heavily fueled.

The four flights involved were:

• American Airlines Flight 11: Left Boston's Logan Airport at 7:59 a.m. enroute to Los Angeles with a crew of 11 and 76 passengers, not including five hijackers. The hijackers flew the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m.
• United Airlines Flight 175: Left Logan Airport at 8:14 a.m. enroute to Los Angeles with a crew of nine and 51 passengers, not including five hijackers. The hijackers flew the plane into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m.
• American Airlines Flight 77: Left Washington Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia at 8:20 a.m. enroute to Los Angeles with a crew of six and 53 passengers, not including five hijackers. The hijackers flew the plane into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.
• United Airlines Flight 93: Left Newark International Airport at 8:42 a.m. enroute to San Francisco, with a crew of seven and 33 passengers, not including four hijackers. After the passengers revolted, the hijackers crashed the plane into the ground near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m.

I always include the past post of my experience on that day. You can view it here. Being a New Yorker, we are very resilient and can manage a lot of things that head our way.  I can tell you that nothing prepared us for that day or for anyone else in our country. September 11, 2001 touched every American in some way and it also reminds everyone of the many heroes that are in our lives, that protect us and that are still protecting us every single day. They help to keep a horrific event such as this from ever happening again.

America's Military, Police, Firemen and EMS have done such an amazing job keeping our country safe. Please take a moment to remember the nearly 3,000 men, women and children killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. Please also keep our men and women in uniform in your thoughts as they continue to fight for our Nation. Military members and their families have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country since then. We salute you and thank you for your service. America sleeps easy knowing you are there to protect us.

We will never forget the events of that fateful and horrific day in September 2001.

My thoughts and prayers are with those lives lost and families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. Thank you to all the first responders from the FDNY, NYPD and the NYARNG (101 Cav, 69th IN, 256 FA) who risked their lives that tragic day. Thank you to all the men and women who defend our freedom by serving in the Military. We will never forget!!