VIII. Prove that G. Washington really was Father of His Country

The 9/11 Tragedy

It goes without saying, that American history was full of horrifying tragedies, but probably one of the most terrible was the notorious September 11 attacks.

At 8:46 a.m., September the 11th, 2001 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger jets, intending to fly them in suicide attacks into targeted buildings. Two of those planes were crashed into the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Both towers collapsed within two hours and falling debris, combined with fires, led to complete collapse of all the other buildings in the World Trade Center complex, also causing major damage to ten other large structures in the immediate area of the complex. A third plane, was crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense), leading to a partial collapse in its western side. The fourth plane targeted at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field near Shanks Ville, Pennsylvania after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. Along with the 110-floor Twin Towers, numerous other buildings at the World Trade Center site were destroyed or badly damaged, including civil objects and municipal authorities. Almost 3,000 people died in the attack, including all 227 civilians and 14 hijackers aboard the four planes. The Pentagon was severely damaged by the impact, causing one section of the building to collapse and killing all 53 passengers, 5 hijackers, and 6 crew.

Immediate measures were taken. At 8:32 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials were notified Flight 11 had been hijacked and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) scrambled two military planes, which were airborne by 8:53 a.m. Because of slow and confused communication from FAA officials, NORAD had 9 minutes' notice that Flight 11 had been hijacked, and no notice about any of the other flights before they crashed. The New York City Fire Department deployed 200 units to the site. Their efforts were supplemented by numerous off-duty firefighters and emergency medical technicians. At 9.14 The New York City Police Department sent Emergency Service Units and other police personnel, and deployed its aviation unit. Hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic debris containing more than 2,500 contaminants, including known carcinogens, were spread across Lower Manhattan due to the collapse of the Twin Towers. Exposure to the toxins in the debris is alleged to have contributed to fatal or debilitating illnesses among people who were at ground zero. Once on the scene, the FDNY, NYPD, and Port Authority police did not coordinate efforts and

performed redundant searches for civilians

As conditions deteriorated, the NYPD aviation unit relayed information to police commanders, who issued orders for its personnel to evacuate the towers; most NYPD officers were able to safely evacuate before the buildings collapsed. At 10:20 a.m. Vice President Dick Cheney issued orders to shoot down any commercial aircraft that could be positively identified as being hijacked. However, these instructions were not relayed in time for the fighters to take action. The Federal Aviation Administration closed American airspace to all international flights, causing about five hundred flights to be turned back or redirected to other countries. In the afternoon of September 11, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was issuing rapid orders to his aides to look for evidence of Iraqi involvement. The NATO council declared the attacks on the United States were an attack on all NATO nations.

Suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda, and in 2004, the group's leader, Osama bin Laden, who had initially denied involvement, claimed responsibility for the attacks. As the official sources state, Osama bin Laden's declared a holy war against the United States and called for the killing of American civilians in 1998. Al-Qaeda wrote, "for over seven years the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorizing its neighbors, and turning its bases in the Peninsula into a spearhead through which to fight the neighboring Muslim peoples." In a December 1999, interview, bin Laden said he felt that Americans were "too near to Mecca", and considered this a provocation to the entire Muslim world. On December 27, 2001, a bin Laden video was released. In the video, he said, "Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, which kills our people”.

The Bush administration announced a so-called War on Terror, with the stated goals of bringing bin Laden and al-Qaeda to justice and preventing the emergence of other terrorist networks. The goals would be accomplished by imposing economic and military sanctions against states perceived as harboring terrorists, and increasing global surveillance and intelligence sharing. On October 7, 2001, the War in Afghanistan began when U.S. and British forces initiated aerial bombing campaigns targeting Taliban and al-Qaeda camps, and then later invaded Afghanistan with ground troops of the Special Forces. This war campaign was the second-biggest operation of the U.S. Global War on Terrorism outside of the United States, and the largest directly connected to terrorism. Within hours after the September 11 attacks, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld speculated on possible involvement by Saddam Hussein and ordered his aides to make plans for striking Iraq; although unfounded, the association contributed to public acceptance for the invasion of Iraq in 20 March 2003. Many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers.

Despite bin Laden was located and killed by U.S. forces in May 2011, numerous incidents of harassment and hate crimes against Muslims and South Asians were reported after the 9/11 attacks all over the world, and especially in USA. According to an academic study, people perceived to be Middle Eastern were as likely to be victims of hate crimes as followers of Islam during this time. The study also found a similar increase in hate crimes against people who may have been perceived as Muslims, Arabs and others thought to be of Middle Eastern origin. Various crimes such as vandalism, arson, assault, shootings, harassment, and threats in numerous places were documented.

The 9/11 attacks had immediate effects upon the American people. Police and rescue workers from around the country took leaves of absence, traveling to New York City to help recover. Blood donations across the U.S. surged in the weeks after 9/11. The damaged section of the Pentagon was rebuilt and occupied within a year of the attacks. The temporary World Trade Center PATH station opened in late 2003 and construction of the new 7 World Trade Center was completed in 2006. In the days immediately following the attacks, many memorials and vigils were held around the world. In addition, people posted photographs of the dead and missing all around Ground Zero. One of the first memorials was the Tribute in Light, an installation of 88 searchlights at the footprints of the World Trade Center towers.

In New York, the World Trade Center Memorial consisted of a pair of reflecting pools in the footprints of the towers, surrounded by a list of the victims' names in an underground memorial space, was opened in September 11th 2011. The Pentagon Memorial was completed and opened to the public on the seventh anniversary of the attacks in 2008. It consists of a landscaped park with 184 benches facing the Pentagon.

When the Pentagon was repaired in 2001–2002, a private chapel and indoor memorial were included, located at the spot where the plane crashed into the building. The radio industry responded by removing certain songs from playlists, and the attacks have subsequently been used as background, narrative or thematic elements in film, television, music and literature. Already-running television shows as well as programs developed after 9/11 have reflected post-9/11 cultural concerns. On the way of “popularity” an alternative 9/11 conspiracy theories gained a wide popularity and became a social phenomena. The most widespread among them were: the falsification of the results of investigations, the hiding of participation of Bush cabinet, and the conspiracy of American and Israel governments. The impact of 9/11 extends beyond geopolitics into society and culture in general. The destruction of the Twin Towers and other properties caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan and had a significant effect on global markets.

As a result of the attacks, many governments across the world passed legislation to combat terrorism. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security was created to coordinate domestic anti-terrorism efforts. The USA Patriot Act gave the federal government greater powers, including the authority to detain foreign terror suspects for a week without charge, to monitor telephone communications, e-mail, and Internet use by terror suspects, and to prosecute suspected terrorists without time restrictions. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered that airplane cockpits be reinforced to prevent terrorists gaining control of planes. The law created a federal security force to inspect passengers and luggage, causing long delays and concern over passenger privacy.

On every anniversary, in New York City, the names of the victims who died there are read out against a background of somber music. The President of the United States attends a memorial service at the Pentagon, and asks Americans to observe Patriot Day with a moment of silence. Immediate responses to 9/11 included greater focus on home life and time spent with family, higher church attendance, and increased expressions of patriotism such as the flying of flags.

I. Answer the questions:

1. What happened on September the 11th?

2. What was spread across lower Manhattan?

3. Who issued orders to shoot down any commercial aircraft that could be positively identified as being hijacked?

4. What did Bush's administration announce?

5. When did the War in Afghanistan begin?

6. When was bin Laden killed?

7. Which crimes were documented in numerous places?

8. Why did police and rescue workers from around the country take leaves of absence?

9. What was held around the world in the days immediately following the attacks?

10. What memorial was one of the first ones?

11. When was d The Pentagon Memorial opened?