Americans Remember the Victims

and Heroes of Sept. 11, 2001

Ask most adults, and they’ll tell you where they were on Sept. 11, 2001. The
morning started like any other in New York City, as people crowded the sidewalks
on their way to work. Suddenly, terrifying events began to unfold in the sky
above.

At 8:46 a.m., a passenger jet slammed into one of the twin towers, the two 110-
story buildings that were part of the World Trade Center. About 50,000 people
worked at the business center. Members of the Islamic terrorist group Al Qaeda
had hijacked the plane and deliberately flown it into the building. Minutes after
the first crash, an airplane struck the second tower. The fiery explosions toppled
the towers in a storm of concrete.

Panic soon gripped the country as word of a third attack spread. At 9:37 a.m.,
another hijacked airliner hit the Pentagon, near Washington, D.C. The attackers
also tried to take over a fourth plane, but passengers and crew fought back. That
aircraft crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board.

Nearly 3,000 people died on that day. Every year on the anniversary of
September 11, remembrance ceremonies are held at the crash sites. On the 10th
anniversary, two new memorials to honor those who were lost were opened.

Honoring The Brave

Eighteen-year-old Jason Vadhan was only 8 when his grandmother, Kristin
Gould White, boarded United Airlines Flight 93. By the time terrorists took over
her plane, the passengers and crew knew of the other attacks. They banded
together, determined to protect their country from further harm.

As the passengers and crew fought the terrorists over a Pennsylvania field, Flight
93 plunged from the sky. Many believe the terrorists intended to crash the plane
into the Capitol or the White House, which most likely would have killed
hundreds more. Sadly, Vadhan never saw his grandmother again. “I could not be
more proud of her,” he recently told reporters.

Vadhan’s grandmother and the other heroes of Flight 93 are honored for their
bravery. On the weekend of the 10th anniversary, officials unveiled the Flight 93
National Memorial at the crash site in Pennsylvania. The memorial includes a
marble wall inscribed with the names of the people who died on the fight. It is the
centerpiece of a new 2,220-acre national park.

Officials in New York City also opened a memorial to honor those who died in the
attacks on the World Trade Center. The National September 11 Memorial features
two reflecting pools where the twin towers stood. The names of those who died
are carved around the pools’ edges.

“The memorial is a powerful symbol of our grief,” New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg told Current Events. “It is also [to honor] the heroism we witnessed
that day.”

A Nation United
The 10th anniversary also marked a time to honor the Americans who leaped to
help after the attacks. Hundreds of firefighters, police officers, and other rescue
workers, many of them volunteers, rushed to the crash sites to aid the victims.
Many other people across the country donated blood.

The U.S. government also took action. U.S. forces invaded the nation of
Afghanistan, searching for Osama bin Laden. He was the leader of Al Qaeda, the
terrorist network that coordinated the September 11 attacks.

To help make sure such attacks never happen again, lawmakers created the
Department of Homeland Security to protect the United States and prevent
national emergencies. One of the measures it took was to establish stricter
security at airports.

The attacks still live in Americans’ memories, but many believe that the events of
September 11 have made the country stronger.

“Prior to 9/11, I feel that many were not aware of the potential damage that could
be inflicted on our country,” says Ashley Gilligan, now 27, who was a senior in
high school when her father, Ronald, died in the World Trade Center. “I feel that
there is a greater sense of unity across our nation. We, the people of the United
States, exemplify ‘united we stand, together we fall.’ ”

Gilligan says she has managed to let go of the anger she felt immediately after the
September 11 attacks. “It took time, but it was well worth it,” she says. “I realized
that in order to love and be loved, one cannot be paralyzed with anger.”
Comprehension Questions
Show/Hide All Answers

Answer

1. What happened on September 11, 2001?

A. The National September 11 Memorial and Flight 93 National Memorial

opened.
B. Lawmakers created the Department of Homeland Security.
C. U.S. forces invaded the nation of Afghanistan, searching for Osama bin
Laden.
D. Terrorists hijacked airplanes and attacked the United States.

Answer

2. What does this passage describe?

A. This passage describes the reasons that Ashley Gilligan’s father was at
the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
B. This passage describes what being inside the World Trade Center was
like before September 11, 2001.
C. This passage describes the events of September 11, 2001 and some of
their effects.
D. This passage describes the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the effects
of that invasion.

Answer

3. The passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 93 were

brave.
What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

A. About 50,000 people worked at the World Trade Center.

B. Michael Bloomberg called the September 11 Memorial “a powerful
symbol of our grief.”
C. Members of the terrorist group Al Qaeda hijacked a plane and flew it into
the Pentagon.
D. The passengers and crew on Flight 93 banded together to fight the
terrorists.

Answer

4. The author writes that there is now stricter security at airports.

What is the most likely reason for the stricter security?

A. The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of airports.

B. More international flights are taken today than on September 11.
C. The terrorists used airports to gain access to planes.
D. Americans are scared in public now.

Answer

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A. the heroism of United Airlines Flight 93 passengers

B. the increasing violence in the news
C. the tragic events of September 11 and the effects of the tragedy
D. the events that led up to the September 11 attacks

Answer

6. Read the sentence:

“Panic soon gripped the country as word of a third attack spread.”

What words would best replace gripped and spread as used in

this sentence?

A. worried; took over

B. confused; increased
C. took over; was shared
D. held on to; swelled
Answer

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

U.S. forces invaded the nation of Afghanistan, searching for Osama

bin Laden ________ he was the leader
of the network that organized the attacks.

A. therefore
B. although
C. in contrast
D. because

Answer
8. Why was the Department of Homeland Security created?

(written answer)

Answer
9. How does Ashley Gilligan believe that the United States has
changed since September 11?

(written answer)

Answer
10. Have the events of September 11 made the United States
stronger? Use evidence from the passage to explain why or why
not.

(written answer)