On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists who were members of Al-Qaeda hijacked four California-bound airplanes shortly after their departures from airports in Boston, Massachusetts; Newark, New Jersey; and Washington, D.C.

 In a coordinated attack that transformed the planes into weapons, the hijackers flew two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, and another into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. After learning about the other hijacking, passengers on the fourth plane launched a counter attack resulting in the aircraft crashing in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

The 9/11 Museum and Memorial serves as commemorative to the events that happened on September 11, 2001. The museum provides opportunities to learn about the past and a chance to mourn all that was lost on that day.

The Feather staff visited the memorial while in New York City during a week-long visit to Manhattan and attend the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s 93rd annual convention, March 12-17.

Some of the Fresno group shared their thoughts and comments in a join the discussion article. Please add your thoughts to the comment section below.

 An opportunity to learn
Kaylie Clem, Sophomore
March 14, 2017

“The most interesting part was seeing what a department store looked like six months after the attack. The shops were full of ashes and extremely dusty from all the smoke. I was impacted most by the voicemails left by passengers on the plane to their loved ones. One thing I learned more about while walking through the exhibits were the fire departments that responded first. My favorite part was reading all the plaques because each of them thoroughly explained what the exhibit was about.”

 Artistic flare
Juliana Lozano, Junior
March 14, 2017

“The most memorable part of the museum for me was hearing the multiple voices and seeing the remains of the two towers. I enjoyed being able to see artifacts of history up so close. The multiple rooms with the voices of eyewitness accounts impacted me the most, especially the calls of those who were in the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. Something new that I learned about was the bombing on February 26th before 9/11, I didn’t know the towers had been under attack previously.

Another thing I learned about was that actual number of people who were involved in the attack,” Lozano continued. “My favorite part was seeing the wall full of colors and the quote from Virgil, which said, ‘No day shall erase you from the memory of time.’ The wall was called,   Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning and I enjoyed seeing the many beautiful blue squares.”

A chance to think
Stuart Chandler, Parent Chaperone
March 14, 2017

“One memorable moment was seeing all the names on the memorials outside of the museum. Standing there and contemplating the vibrancy of life that once existed in those exact spots and how they quickly perished was something that will be etched in my memory for the rest of my life. I really enjoyed the way everything in the museum was put together it was very clean. My favorite part was the final exhibit area where there were videos and recordings of the events that took place that day. It was very moving to watch the videos and hear the voices of first responders and survivors.”

Moving experience
Jaden Ventura, Junior
March 14, 2017

“The most memorable part was seeing all the missing people signs plastered along the walls. Upon gazing at the posters, chills ran down my by back. The part of the museum that impacted me the most was being able to grasp the tragedy that took place and the devastation that it brought to so many people. One thing that I learned was that the fourth attack that was aimed at the United States Capitol and was unsuccessful due to the bravery of many passengers.”

Eye-opening
Sophia Kalugin, Sophomore
March 14, 2017

“The most memorable part of the 9/11 museum was going to the memorial and honoring those who died. Flight 93 impacted me the most because the people in the plane saved many lives by preventing the hijackers from flying into the United States Capitol. The best part was seeing the list of firefighters who risked their lives to save those in the buildings.”

Comforting to know they care
Julian Castro, Senior
March 14, 2017

“One thing that impacted me was seeing a drawing that many school kids made. One kid wrote, ‘Hoy somos todos American,’ and that was very impactful to see that other countries cared so much about what was happening in America. I learned a lot of new things about how the attack actually happened and the events leading up to it and how the planes were hijacked. My favorite part was seeing all the saved rubble and debris from the building.

Forever remember
Marie Fikse, Parent Chaperone
March 14, 2017

“There were many parts of the museum that I will always remember. Some things that I will remember include; seeing the destroyed fire trucks, twisted beams and missing person posters. All parts of the museum made me remember how horrible that day was for our nation and especially for those who were there. I think the recordings of some of the flight 93 passengers really impacted me. It was really emotional to hear from their own words.Just knowing so many people lost their lives there and seeing the walls with all these pictures was really a really sad experience. My favorite part were the waterfalls of the memorial, the sound of the water was calming in a place that had been such panic on 9/11.”

2977 were killed that day, which was the single largest loss of life resulting in a foreign attack on American soil. That day was also the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American history.

Approximately two billion people almost one-third of the world’s population, are estimated to have witnessed the events of that day whether it was in person, on television or the on the internet.

Feel free to leave a comment sharing your thoughts and perspective on the attacks that took place on that day.

For another article read, Join the Discussion: Women’s March.

The author can be reached via email: Braden Bell, Instagram and Twitter.