“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”

September 11, 2001. One of, if not the most, tragic day in American history. Twenty-one years later, the nation still mourns the deaths of 2, 996 innocent lives, stolen by Islamic terrorists and their planned attacks on the country.

The terrorists boarded four airplanes across three different airports on the East Coast, armed and bound for California. These hijackers counted nineteen people total, affiliated with a group called al Qaeda. Originating from Saudi Arabia and other Arab regions, they were sent to complete suicide missions in American landmarks, under the leadership of Osama bin Laden.

The first two planes headed to the Twin Towers in New York City. At 8:45 am, American Airlines Boeing 767 was hurled into the 80th floor of the north tower. At 9:03 am, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the 60th floor of the south tower and started an explosion.

At 10:30 am, the north tower of the Twin Towers collapses. Only six people manage to escape and survive the destruction.

One of these planes crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. 125 American military personnel and citizens were killed, alongside 64 of the plane’s passengers.

United Airlines Flight 93 demolished a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Passengers realized that their plane was hijacked through communication to the ground. Several passengers and flight attendants attacked the hijackers, who lost control of the aircraft and sped downwards. All 44 people aboard were killed. Its intended route is still unknown.

To protect the President, George W. Bush, measures were taken to keep him in constant surveillance and movement away from the White House. At 7 pm, the president returned to his home and issued a nationwide speech to take action against the murderers of almost 3,000 Americans: “We will make no distinction between the terrorist who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”

Operation Enduring Freedom was created on October 7, 2001, as an effort created to end the terrorization of Osama bin Laden’s network in Afghanistan. Almost ten years after the heartbreaking deaths of 9/11, on May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden was found and killed in Pakistan. One month later, then-President Barack Obama delivered the order of the return of American troops from Afghanistan, which lasted until August of 2021, ten years later.

On November 25, 2002, George W. Bush also signed the Department of Homeland Security into law. This administration protects the country from border attacks and manages any intervention required at the nation’s borders.

September 11, 2001, was a horrific day in American history. On this day, for the many years to come, we memorialize the brave who sacrificed their lives to save others, the innocents who had much more of life to live, and the families of all those who lost precious people close to their hearts.

This Sunday, September 11, the Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Miley, alongside President Joe Biden will host an (observance ceremony) at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. In many historical monuments across the nation, millions of other Americans will be doing the same. America was torn apart on that regretful day, but we emerged stronger than ever, recognizing that true strength comes from the bonds that we share.