9/11: The Impact Of Osama Bin Laden

On September 11, 2001 the United States was devastated by four terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda. The terrorist attacks took place in Manhattan, New York, Arlington County Virginia, and Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attacks killed 2996 people, injured over 6,00 others, and cost at least $10 billion in property damage. 9/11 was the single deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement in the United States. A total of 411 emergency workers died trying to rescue people and fight the fires. Osama bin Laden was the mastermind behind this horrific attack on the United States. They were trying to get revenge on the United States for their support of Israel and their involvement in the Persian

Gulf War.
An enormous amount of events happened on September 11, 2001.It all started when. Four passenger airlines operated by two U.S. passenger airlines (United Airlines and American Airlines) were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorist. The 19 terrorist smuggled box cutters and knives through security at the airports. It was reported that the hijackers used mace, tear gas, or pepper spray to overcome the flight attendants. There were reports of the hijackers killing and stabbing pilots, flight attendants, and passengers. Two of the planes, American Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade. In about an hour and forty-two minutes both 110 story towers collapsed. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon. One hundred twenty-five Pentagon workers lost their lives. The damage to the Pentagon was rebuilt within a year of the attacks. The fourth plane was flown toward Washington D.C., but it crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was total chaos. Thousands of toxic debris were circulating around in the air due to the collapse of the Twin Towers. The exposure of the toxins in the debris has been linked to illness among the people. People who were at or near the impact were trapped and died of smoke inhalation. At least 200 people fell or jumped to their deaths trying to escape for the burning towers. Some people tried to retreat to the rooftop, hoping a helicopter would be there to carry them away from all of this chaos, but the access door to the roof was locked. The beautiful sky was filled with dark clouds instead of white clouds on that day.
The United States launched the War on Terror and invaded Afghanistan to destroy the Taliban.

The United States demanded them to hand over Osama bin Laden. They were going to force al-Qaeda from Afghanistan. After evading capture for almost a decade, Osama bin Laden was located and killed in Pakistan by SEAL Team Six of the U.S. Navy in May 2011. The terrorist attack had a profound effect on the United States economically and culturally. The stock exchange did not open on September 11 and remained closed until September 17. Businesses near the World Trade Center were destroyed which resulted in the loss of many jobs. In New York City, about 430,000 job-months and 2.3 billion dollars were lost in the first three months after the attacks. Although the attacks were horrific, the people of the U.S. show a powerful sense of togetherness. There was a great increase in home life, time spent with family, higher church attendance and people expressed their patriotism by flying flags. Religious faith was a tug of war. Some people were turning to God to find understanding why this happen and deal with their grief. On the other hand, there were some who lost their faith entirely, unable to grasp the situation. Security was definitely on the high rise. The Department of Homeland Security was created by the Homeland Security Act to coordinate domestic anti-terrorism efforts. The FAA ordered that airplane cockpits be reinforced to prevent terrorist from gaining control of planes. The Federal government was responsible for airport security by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. The law created the Transportation Security Administration to inspect passengers and luggage, causing long delays. September 11, 2001 is considered the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in U.S. history. On every anniversary, in New York City the names of the victims who died are read out loud against a background of music. The President of the U.S. attends a memorial

service at the Pentagon and observe the day with a moment of silence.