Yesterday was Sept. 11, a date that shall live in infamy. Where were you 10 years and a day ago? For a lot of people, it started the same as any other morning, school had started, many people were on their way to work or had already arrived.
To be completely honest, I can’t remember where I was that day, and neither can most people my age. I don’t think people my age really understand how much the events of that day changed their lives. I also doubt that they realize a lot of the destruction of 9/11 could’ve been prevented.
During the Cold War, the United States Air Force was constantly patrolling the East and West coasts of the United States. We also had many armed aircraft ready to be launched into action, according to military personnel with whom I’ve spoken. If we had knowledge of hijacked planes during the Cold War, we would’ve had the resources to immediately confront the hijacked planes.
Former President Bush wrote in his novel “Decision Points,” “I told Dick (Cheney) that our pilots should contact suspicious planes and try to get them to land peacefully. If that failed, they had my authority to shoot them down.”
If we had fighter aircraft in the air at 10 o’clock that fateful morning, we may have been able to take down at least one of the planes and decreased the amount of casualties. Having the Air National Guard with an ongoing homeland defense mission may also have deterred the terrorists from even attempting an attack.
Then again, everything happens for a reason. As grim as it may sound, 9/11 may have been good for this country. The FBI has dedicated an entire section of its website to the changes that ensued because of the attack. The site claims, “The FBI has made a series of changes to enhance its ability to protect the nation from a vast array of ever-evolving threats.”
The Transportation Security Agency was formed and now uses body scanners in major airports and cracked down on airport security. Effects of 9/11 can even be felt here in Maine. Security is taken a lot more seriously at the Portland Jetport, and there is even talk of body scanners being installed in coming months.
We have also sent many of our sons and daughters off to serve our country in Afghanistan, in the War on Terror, to bring to justice the group of people who caused the original attacks. There have also been a few reforms in police and fire work since 9/11. For instance, police 10 codes are becoming rare because they were often different from town to town. This made it more difficult to communicate when many departments were together fighting on one front. The Sept. 11 attacks illustrated the need for interoperability between state, local and national agencies.
There is also the emotional toll of 9/11. According to New York Magazine, 20 percent of Americans know someone who was hurt or killed in the attacks; there are an estimated 422,000 New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome; and 1.4 million Americans changed their travel planes from planes to cars and trains.
A math teacher at Thornton Academy worked across the street from the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks. Even today, a decade later, he still recalls the attack in great detail. The events of Sept. 11 will forever be ingrained in the minds of many New Yorkers, undoubtedly.
Here we are, a decade later. A lot has changed since then. We now have stricter security laws. Our military has been fighting to prevent another attack. However, like the attack on Pearl Harbor, that day and the events following have left a lasting impression on this great nation of ours. Thankfully, we have prepared ourselves to prevent such an event from happening again. I’d like to say thank you to all of those who have innocently lost their lives for our country. It’s interesting how a day I can’t remember has changed my life so much.
— Timothy Morris is a student at Thornton Academy who is active with Thornton Academy television station.
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