Remembering 9/11/2001

By | September 11, 2021

[September 11, 2021]  There are many memories of September 11, 2001; this 20th anniversary of that terrible event.  Today, I’m bringing you the words of Richard Pearson, Executive Director of the Illinois State Rifle Association.

It is hard to believe that 9/11/2001 was 20 years ago.  I, like many of you, remember where I was and what I was doing when the terrorist attack happened, as well as those agonizing days after.  When I was thinking about the 9/11 attacks, it dawned on me that those under 30 have little or no memory of what happened or the aftermath.  It is like the memories my parents had of Pearl Harbor; I was not around yet so I had to learn what happened.  Still, learning what happened does not give the feelings of what happened.  That too has to be explained even though it isn’t like having lived through it at the time.  History is pretty boring if all you are learning is facts and not the emotions people felt about the people involved and the events.

The morning of 9/11/2001 started as a typical Tuesday.  Tuesday is a slow mail day so I was looking forward to a day in the office catching up on paperwork.  I got to the office about 6:45 am, made coffee and headed to my paper covered desk.  The staff gets in about an hour later.  We had a television in the break room which was tuned to a news station, at least in the morning.  I headed to my desk and a few minutes later someone came in and told me the North Tower of the World Trade Center had been hit by an airplane.  Once, on a foggy day, the Empire State Building had been hit by a B-25 bomber so this has happened before.  When I saw the television, it was already obvious this was not an accident.  It was a clear day.  This had to be deliberate, I thought to myself.  Minutes later, another airplane hit the South Tower.  This is a terrorist attack I thought, recalling the 1992 attack on the World Trade Center by Middle Eastern terrorists.  By this time, even news media had figured out that this was a terrorist attack.

 At 9:37am, another airplane hit the Pentagon, killing 125 on the ground and 64 passengers in the airplane.  The Pentagon was built to withstand attacks.  Still, it was a mess.

I was glued to the television.  At 10:28am, the North Tower collapsed.  Later, it was discovered that of the people in the North Tower, only 6 survived.  The South Tower collapsed at 9:59am, 56 minutes after impact.

A fourth airplane, Flight 93, bound for California, had been delayed on takeoff.  The passengers had learned of the other attacks.  After the airplane took off, it turned around.  The passengers knew they weren’t going back to land, they had been hijacked.  At least 4 of those passengers knew what was ahead.  They quickly got organized and attacked the fortified cockpit door.  At 10:03am, the airplane plunged into the ground at 500 miles an hour near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  All aboard were killed but those brave souls fought back and undoubtedly saved hundreds of other lives on the ground.  The target of Flight 93 is still not known but it was probably the Capitol Building, the White House or Camp David.  I doubt it was Camp David because the President was not there; I am guessing the Capitol Building.  The media was wondering where President George W. Bush was.  In the early afternoon, I walked outside my office and heard the roar of jet engines.  I looked up and there was Air Force One accompanied by F-16s directly overhead.  It felt good to see those planes.  I knew where the President was, he was in his Command Center directly overhead.  I certainly did not tell the press.

By this time, almost all Americans were filled with rage, sadness and had a huge knot in their stomachs.  By the end of the day, American flags were flying off the shelves.  People flew them at their homes, on street corners and from their vehicles.  In a few hours the Country had wielded together more than it had been since WWII.

The following days and months were spent cleaning up the bodies, the rubble and dealing with the cowardly attack on us all.  I watched with sorrow for the victims and their families and admiration for those doing the difficult grisly work that had to be done.  In the meantime, President George W. Bush was rebuilding the military which had been decimated by the Clinton Administration.  I remember U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld explaining to the media that “You go to war with the military you have, not the military you want.”  Rumsfeld went to work laying the groundwork for the modern U.S. Military as it is today.  The U.S. Military has suppressed the terrorists in Afghanistan and kept it from being a training ground for terrorists but the military was pulled out by Joe Biden.  General George Patton once said he didn’t like to pay for the same real estate twice but that is just what we are going to do.  We will have to go back to Afghanistan unless we want to fight these terrorists in our front yard.  Something to think about on this 20th anniversary of 9/11/2001.

Author: Douglas R. Satterfield

Hello. I provide one article every day. My writings are influenced by great thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Jung, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Jean Piaget, Erich Neumann, and Jordan Peterson, whose insight and brilliance have gotten millions worldwide to think about improving ourselves. Thank you for reading my blog.

20 thoughts on “Remembering 9/11/2001

  1. Janna Faulkner

    Enabled now by the feckless cruelty of a cretinous administration, the Taliban have triumphed over the United States.

    Reply
  2. Dead Pool Guy

    Thank you, Gen. Satterfield for your continued support of America and her values. We all salute you for what you do. Yes, let us remember 9/11 and those that perished that day. Let us also remember that we have a tyrant-in-the-making in the White House and he deserves to be thrown out on his ass, along with his minions in Congress. Do not support him in any way.

    Reply
      1. Erleldech

        If only we could. Supposedly he is the most popular president ever in the history of America. Yeah right! And I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you at a cheap price. Just contact me and we can work out a deal. Gullible, yep.

        Reply
        1. Frank Graham

          Joe Biden is the worst president ever that the US “elected.” I am convinced now, more than ever, that the election was rigged.

          Reply
  3. Shawn C. Stolarz

    I’m from New York and I lost three friends that day, all firemen. I honor them every day not just on 9-11. Keep the faith.

    Reply
    1. Melissa Jackson

      My condolences. Please pass that along to those families. I only wish that I could do more. But, I do remember and I don’t let commie-wannabes steal the upper hand morally on this important event. Remember also that the commies want to invade your home and order you around. Now, Joe Biden is ordering (yep, himself, ordering us to take the vaccine). That’s not his job. It’s illegal, yet the media is peeing their pants over it because they “love” him so much. What a shameful display of an evil man.

      Reply
  4. old warrior

    Another excellent article. Also, Gen. Satterfield, you have my continued thanks for what you and your family are doing to help make America great again. Where freedom is the highest value under God and where socialism is kicked in the balls.

    Reply
  5. Army Captain

    Also remember, like this guy implied, never trust the media. They have no character. They have proved this repeatedly. Even Gen. Satterfield noted that they tried to publish on-going secret level plans of the US military during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do not trust the media ever ever ever.

    Reply
    1. Kenny Foster

      Right, they are not your friend. They will appear to be just as they are sticking a knife in your back.

      Reply
    1. Janna Faulkner

      Yes, I’d not heard of this guy before, but he makes a lot of good sense. I’m attending several services today and bringing my kids with me. Remember and never forget.

      Reply
      1. Max Foster

        .. and good for you, Janna. I will do the same. More and more of us Americans are learning to be real Americans instead of the wussies that so many of our elected socialist politicians want us to be. Those that think that they are somehow superior to the rest of us (reminiscent of the Nazi era) will never win. Good will triumph over the evils of Islam and those that are part of that political movement.

        Reply
    2. Fred Weber

      In the 20 years since the attacks, America’s own totalitarian left has proven to be a far more dangerous and committed enemy of the United States than any distant jihadists, harboring as much hatred for our heritage of freedom and chaotic way of life as Osama bin Laden ever did.

      Reply
  6. Eduardo Sanchez

    Like the Alamo, Islam will forever be remembered for a short term victory that lead to their defeat in the end.

    Reply
  7. Steve Dade

    Remember 9/11/2021 …. I will never forget and I will continue to remember both the failures to prevent it and those who murdered our citizens.

    Reply

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