About One of America’s Most Deadly Terror Attacks

One of America’s most deadly terror attacks in history was the tragedy of 9/11. Los Angeles Times released an article the day after these events titled Terrorists Attack New York, Pentagon, Thousands Dead, Injured as Hijacked U.S. Airline Ram Targets; World Trade Center is Destroyed. On September 11, 2001 four planes were hijacked from the three major airports in Dulles, Newark, and Boston. “As a horrified nation watched on television, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan collapsed into flaming rubble after two Boeing 767s rammed their fronts into the building. A third airliner, a Boeing 757, flattened on of the Pentagon’s famed five sides.” The first two planes headed for the World Trade Center in New York City. Airline technicians were clued into the first hijack through a suspicious transmision that clued them into multiple plane hijackings. Each plane had multiple hijackers equipped with weapons and gases to overcome any passengers who fought back. The first crashed into the North Tower, leaving a gaping hole around the 80th floor, and trapping/killing hundreds of people in the process. People initially suspected it was a technical malfunction, but all doubts were erased when the second plane hit the South Tower no more that 15 minutes later.

The second plane hit the 60th floor, killing hundreds of more people. Many people died of direct hit, suffocation, burning and suicide. A lot of people didn’t want to suffer so they took their own lives by jumping off the tower. “ In the aftermath of the explosion Tuesday morning that shook the twin towers of the World Trade Center, thousands struggled to escape. Some were lucky and fast enough to find elevators still functioning. Others walked and crawled and groped their way down hundreds of stairs.” Both hits damaged the structures of the buildings to the point of full collapse. The collapse caused damage to surrounding buildings and created a huge cloud of ash that covered the city. The third plane headed towards Washington DC. Multiple passengers were stabbed and one of the hijackers had a bomb strapped to his chest. One of the flight attendants managed to make a transmission to the airlines and relay what was happening.

This is one of the most devastating attacks in American history. It ruined thousands of families and put a massive dent into our national security. After this attack national security and defense became a top priority. It encouraged military involvement in Afghanistan that has turned into the longest running war in American history. Military spending and recruitment increased dramatically. Organizations such as The Department of Homeland Security and U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement were created to help battle against future terrorist attacks. Security at airports changed dramatically after the events of 9/11. More scanners were used and stricter enforcements on ID checks were regulated. We have greatly improved our systems and hopefully nothing like this will ever happen again.

On June 14th, 1944 America invaded France by charging the beaches of Normandy. Many newspapers reported on this historical event such as The Denver Post with the headline, Invasion Begins. Allied Forces Land in France. British, American, and Canadian forces stormed the beaches of Normandy that were heavily guarded with advanced weaponry. With over 200,00 men and 11, 000 ships, the Allied Forces aimed to win. Germany originally thought the attack on Omaha Beach was a ruse, until the Allied troops landed their first soldier. They had to run over 4 football fields in sand to get to the other side, all while carrying majorly heavy gear.

On D-Day itself , all of the Allied troops were dropped off in these little boats and had to run across a bullet-hell of a space. The initial landing was rough due to squad and team mix ups. It was wide open at flat, so they hardly had any cover compare to the Germans behind their barriers and pill-boxes. Germans troops manned heavy machine guns that were used to mow down anyone that got close. They had also placed different types of steel traps along to shore of the beach.

Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “You are about to embark on a great crusade. The eyes of the world are upon you and the hopes and prayers of all liberty loving peoples go with you… Your task will not be an easy one… I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle… Good luck and let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.” This was to encourage the troops and bring hope to the people. Eisenhower was a General and the leader of the operation. It took him 18 months to come up with the plan to take Omaha Beach. In order to prepare he sent troops over to England more than two years in advance and many as young as 15 were apart of the forces. Most of the soldiers had no real battle experience and only had their two years of training to back themselves up.

Many doubted the success of this operation before it went through, but time and perseverance showed them that our troops were strong enough to not only fend off Germany, but push the front line forward. This operation is one of the most important ones in American history and proved to be a turning point in the war. One aspect of this battle that I did not like was the “everyone fight for themselves mentality”. Many people died from this that might have been saved. At the same time the whole outcome could’ve been different if that was the case, maybe we would not have won that battle. D-Day serves as one of the most recognizable moments in American history.