January 1, Remembering September 11, 2001: 20 years later

Published

3 years ago

September 11, 2021

As we remember the events of 9/11 on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, the nation is still collectively grieving.

At 8:46 a.m. ET, American Airlines Flight 11 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. At 9:03 a.m. ET, United Airlines Flight 175 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) hit the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. At 9:37 a.m. ET, American Airlines Flight 77 (traveling from Dulles, Virginia, to Los Angeles) hit the Pentagon Building in Washington. And at 10:03 a.m. ET, United Airlines Flight 93 (traveling from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco) crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Around the country, Americans vowed to “never forget” the attacks or the individuals who lost their lives.

We have not forgotten, but today we pause and reflect on that day. Here are some quotes in remembrance of 9/11.

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”

Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in 2002

“I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”
President George W. Bush, at Ground Zero, in 2001

“There are times when I talk about 9/11 and I’m right back there. I start to get choked up and I realize, ‘Ah, this is still a big part of me.'”
Steve Buscemi, actor and volunteer firefighter who worked alongside first responders in the wake of the attacks, in a podcast with WTF With Marc Maron, in 2021

“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.”

Then-New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani

“What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.”
David Levithan, author

“When Americans lend a hand to one another, nothing is impossible. We’re not about what happened on 9/11. We’re about what happened on 9/12.”
Jeff Parness, founder of New York Says Thank You