9/11, 25 Years Later: America Remembers

Jules, this is Zion. I'm on an airplane that's been hijacked. Things don't go well. It's not looking good. I just want you to know I absolutely love you. I want you to be good. Go have some good time. Same to my parents and everybody. I just totally love you and I'll see you in December. Bye, babe. Hope I call you. 25 years ago today, America witnessed the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. The World Trade Center, two landmarks that define the New York City skyline, collapsed before the eyes of the world. For a city in shock, time seemed to stand still. 25 years later, the images of grief and of unity remain etched into our nation's memory. I'm Sam Wong and welcome to World Decoded. We want to tell you what we know as we know it. We just got a report in that there's been some sort of explosion at the World Trade Center in New York City. September 11, 2001. Two hijacked commercial airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan. The South Tower was struck at 9.03 a.m. and came crashing down in less than an hour. About half an hour later, the North Tower crumbled after burning for an hour and 42 minutes. Outside of New York City, a third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew attempted to take back control of the aircraft. At ground zero, dust and debris swept through the streets of New York City. First responders and emergency crews worked around the clock, searching through the wreckage under grueling conditions. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, including passengers, office workers, and first responders. The anguish was overwhelming. From the ashes of that day, a new chapter in American history began. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. Here at home, the attacks would reshape the way Americans looked at national security. Overseas, the United States launched a war on terror, beginning with military action in Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban government. In the days and weeks that followed, the country came together in grief and in resolve. America saw a surge in patriotism. From places of worship to parks and town halls, people from all walks of life gathered to show solidarity with the victims. Volunteers flocked to New York City from across the country to lend a helping hand. People lined up for hours to donate blood. They brought food and supplies to rescue workers, and they opened their homes to stranded travelers. A wounded nation found strength in unity. Over the past 250 years, America has weathered moments of profound crisis, falling to its lowest points only to rise again and find a way forward. Perhaps that is the strength of this great nation. A nation filled with people of faith and virtue. People who run toward danger when others run away. People who, in times of despair, are willing to set aside their differences and help a stranger in need. 25 years after 9-11. We remember the lives that were lost. We remember the heroes who saved lives. And we remember the day that changed America forever. May we never forget. Bring us back to the moment the towers came down. Where were you at the time, and what did that moment mean to you? I was at home getting ready to go to work, and someone called me on the phone and said, turn on your TV. I think it was my daughter. So I turned on the TV and watched it. I saw all of it. It just breaks my heart to think about. I was 24 years old, working at one of my first jobs out of college with one of my buddy's older brothers. We discovered it at the same time and started watching the news, and pretty dumbfounded for the most part. I was taking a computer class for my job at a restaurant or hotel, I can't remember, near the Pentagon. So I went up to the top of the building, and I could see the smoke coming out from where a plane had hit the Pentagon. My wife was actually on a flight from Boston to New York, so we couldn't even know where she was at the time. I couldn't find another flight back home to New York to see what's going on, and I don't know what's happening with my family there. I had to rent a car driving down from Boston 95 to New York City, and 95 was always jam-packed. There was no cars on the road. And then as I got closer to the Triborough Bridge, I saw all the military people there with their tanks and sniff dogs. Post 9-11, we saw a lot of unity in the country. And what will it take for us to get back on track, setting aside our differences, and learn to get along with each other again? I think it's important to remember what our Constitution is, the freedoms it gives us. After 9-11, people drove from Texas, all over the place, to come to New York. They want to help dig out the people that, you know, possibly still could survive. It was the biggest unity afterwards, and people should really remember that. Through adversity, we found triumph, right? There was not a lot of division. I just hope that people remember, and that it brings them stronger, and that we never forget that freedom comes with a price and an ultimate sacrifice, and just be lucky that you live in this country.