Today marked the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 event that had happened in New York, Pennsylvania, and Pentagon, Washington D.C. in 2001.
It was the after effect of an organized terrorist attack that was realized eight years ago because of the leniency and laxity of our security regulations in our domestic as well as foreign airports and seaports.
It was still clear in my memory what had happened on that hapless and sad day, when terrorism succumb us in fear, massive sadness, and traumatic experiences because of the tangible and intangible damages it brought to our daily lives.
I remember that bright-beautiful-early-morning of September 11, 2001; when I was still working at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Good Samaritan Hospital along Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA; I was just back at NICU after picking-up a newly delivered critical baby from the labor and delivery unit, when one of my co-worker told us about the World Trade Center in New York City being hit by a passenger plane and was been engulfed by a massive fire and thick smoke as shown from the television on the 8th floor waiting room.
We all went to the waiting room and checked if it was true. When we got there we saw the South building of the World Trade Center engulfed with a heavy-thick-black smoke on the middlemost portion of the building. The scene was continuously repeated by the cameraman at the CNN television station and there we saw a passenger plane hitting the majestic tall building.
Then few minutes later, another passenger plane plunged at the top portion of the north building. Then more heavy-thick-black smoke occured until a big inferno developed consuming the two tall buildings of the World Trade Center. Then several hours after, a loud thunderous sound was heard and the two buildings gave way and collapsed to the ground.
It was a horrible sight to see. A lot of people were been seen jumping out of the building and some madly running and shouting on the streets, looking aghast, maybe due to extreme fear and trauma of the incident.
Some spectators near and far and around the perimeter were frightfully afraid, terribly and horribly crying because of the hapless fate of the people accidentally trapped inside the two buildings and also due to the terrible and massive damages this unexpected event had brought to the city of New York and the whole nation.
While watching the television I can feel a warm flow of empathic tears rolling hotly on my cheeks and a sudden pity to those who were affected especially to those helpless people who were unfortunately get stucked inside the building.
Since it was report time at that moment, I helplessly and sadly went back to the NICU unit and gave report as fast as I can to the next shift. Then I hurriedly left the hospital and drove back home to continue watching the grimming situation of the trapped people and their families who got affected by the blast.
While I continuously watched the television another sad event had happened during the middle of the day in Pennsylvania where a United Airlines plane had crashed in an opened field.
It was speculated later that it was still connected with what had happened in World Trade Center in New York where the passengers of the plane fought with their lives against the terrorists in order to prevent the plane from heading to Washington DC to cause another unwarranted havoc in the nation's capital.
Unfortunately, the plan was suddenly aborted and the plane unluckily crashed at a farmland in Pennsylvania because of the bravery of the male passengers to stop the determined terrorists to realize their planned terrorism attack at the nation's capital. Their sad fate though and unforgettable heroic acts were greatly honored by the nation after that.
The families and relatives testified that they had received some distressed calls through cell phones before the crash and while the plane was still flying towards Washington DC. Numerous testimony had surfaced later and was been aired on the national television especially on the CNN News and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Then while I still continued to focused and watched on the television about the sad event that had happened I also heard and witnessed another plane crashing at the Pentagon Building in Washington DC that day destroying some of the portion of the building and important military gadgets and storage around the area. The authorities had also suspected that this was also connected to what had happened in New York and Pennsylvania that sad day.
It was still fresh in my mind what had happened eight years ago. The aftermath of the terrorist's attack brought a lot of damages, hurt, emotional and psychological trauma, lost lives, and unhealed memories in our minds and hearts. And yearly, as we commemorate the anniversary of this organized terrorism attack we always think of our safety as well as our nation's safety and the world's safety as well.
After this event had happened, the government and the people were very vigilant enough to protect the safety of everybody and the nation, as shown in our current strick and meticulous security regulations in our northern and southern borders as well as our domestic and international airports and seaports.
Even the previous administration had campaigned a lot against curtailing terrorism haven and cartels in suspected countries who indulgently harbor suspected terrorist such as Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations like the Taliban in Afghanistan. It was a worldwide campaign participated by a lot of powerful nations. Until it reached and ended to the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan erradicating the Taliban and Al-Qaeda organization who started a Jihad against America.
This campaign was criticized badly worldwide. Until our country turned out to be the bad guy. Because of the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan many lives were affected and lost and our global image was been hurtly stained. It was a humiliating fiasco for our military and our government, which greatly affected our nations military image, financial economy, and international relationships with other nations.
Today, it was President Obama's first commemoration of the 9/11 tragedy for his much dissected administration, now that health care reforms was widely criticized and microscopically delved and discussed nationally.
Despite of solemnly commemorating the said event our politicians focused more on scrutinizing the current administration on how to maintain and improved our nation's health care system for the benefit of the American public.
The current administration inherited and adopted a lot of government problems whether in economic, political, international, and internal-external issues. It was a huge challenge for President Obama to face and tackle these inherited problems and I hope the 9/11 event will unite us more to help our ailing economy and tarnished political situations.
Hopefully, our nation can get over these challenges and will improve it's current situation for the betterment of our country and our lives specifically. This we could achieve maybe if we all unite and set aside our own individual differences and interests by acting as a one nation and participating in any programs that will help alleviate our social, political, and economic status.
Let us get rid of our own moral and immoral acts and actuations that makes as a ravaging cancer to our helpless society and nation. Forsake our own selfishness and jealousies and work hand in hand for the welfare and betterment of everybody and everyone as well as the whole world. Then we could achieve a lasting peace, great success, and continuous progress globally and locally.
There's always a solution to every problems if we all unite as one in every endeavour. If there is a will there is always a way, as an old adage say.
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