Countless words have been written about the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and what followed them. But not today. Today there are only the captions for the images, and the stark figures that do no justice to what was lost: 2,977 dead – 246 on the four aircraft, 2,606 in New York City in the towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon. May they rest in peace. We will never forget.
Sept. 11, 2001, and After | Images
Flight 175 Hits the South Tower of the World Trade Center as the North Tower burns. Photo by The Machine Stops via Wikimedia Commons The North Tower of the World Trade Center hit and burning on the morning of September 11, 2001. This photo is one of 250 slides in the Library of Congress from the New York District Attorney's office by an unattributed photographer. Courtesy of the Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. U.S. Army personnel run to help victims moments after a hijacked jetliner crashed into the Pentagon at approximately 0930 on September 11, 2001. A piece of the fuselage of American Airlines Flight 77 can clearly be seen in the background. DoD photo by Cpl. Jason Ingersoll, USMC Firefighters work to put out the flames after a hijacked jetliner crashed into the Pentagon at approximately 0930 on September 11, 2001. Photo by Cpl. Jason Ingersoll, USMC A fuselage section of Flight 93 lies in a field in Somerset County, Penn. The hijackers failed in their mission to attack Washington, but deliberately crashed into the ground after passengers stormed the cockpit. Photo exhibit from the Moussaoui trial, exhibit #P200061 Firefighters brave the thick smoke as they search for survivors through the rubble and debris of the World Trade Center in New York City in the area known as Ground Zero, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. DoD photo by PH2 Jim Watson, USN A nighttime view of the Pentagon building showing smoke rising from the building after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The dome of the Capital Building is visible in the background. DoD photo by PH2 Robert Houlihan, USN A Vermont Air National Guard F-16 patrols the skies over New York City on Sept. 12, 2001, in support of Operation Noble Eagle, as the remains of the World Trade Center still burn below. U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Terry Moultrup An overall aerial view, two days later, of the impact point on the Pentagon where the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757-200 entered, breaking up in the process. The impact destroyed or damaged four of the five "rings," in that section of the building. That section of the Pentagon was in the finishing stages of a renovation program to reinforce and update the building. Fire fighters fought the fire throughout the night. The huge American flag visible to the right of the damaged area is a garrison flag sent from the U.S. Army Band at nearby Fort Myer, Va. It is the largest authorized (20’ x 38’) flag for the military. 3rd Infantry soldiers and fire fighters unfurled the flag over the side. Each night floodlights illuminated it. DoD photo by Tech Sgt. Cedric H. Rudisill, USAF Days after the terrorist attacks on American soil, the towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) sit as a pile of rubble in the streets of New York City. The rescue and recovery efforts continue, with tons of debris slowly removed from the site. The view is to the south, the World Financial Center (WFC) towers – American Express (pyramid), WFC tower two (dome) and WFC tower 1 (Oppenheimer, Dow Jones). Governors Island in Upper New York Bay is in the background. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Michelle Leonard, USAF The American flag gently blows as relief workers and firemen meticulously excavate the WTC site on September 24, 2001. USAF photo by Gary Ell The aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center leaves Ground Zero looking like a war zone, Sept. 19, 2001. Workers were still working around the clock since the attack and subsequent collapse of the World Trade Center. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Eric J. Tilford Office interiors exposed in the wreckage at the Pentagon after the smoke cleared. DoD photo by Cpl. Jason Ingersoll, USMC An aerial view, days after the terrorist attacks on American soil, the towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) sit as a pile of rubble in the streets of New York City as rescue and recovery efforts continue. The view is to the south, World Financial Center (WFC) tower 1 (Oppenheimer, Dow Jones) in the upper right corner. Visible also is the bridge connecting the WTC and WFC. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Michelle Leonard, USAF The Tribute of Light memorial is lit in New York City, N.Y., Sept. 11, 2006, at the former World Trade Center site in remembrance of the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001, as seen from the opposite bank of Upper New York Bay at Liberty State Park, N.J. U.S. Air Force photo by Denise Gould One hundred eighty-four beams of light projected from the Pentagon courtyard illuminate the night sky to commemorate each life lost at the Pentagon on the five-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Johnny Bivera