▲The American flag that is draped across the names of the victims of 911 Memorial Park (source: MBC News Desk)

On September 11, 2001, the 110-story World Trade Center twin buildings, the second tallest buildings in New York, collapsed. In addition to the WTC, major government buildings, including the Pentagon and the Capitol in Washington, were attacked by terrorist using aircrafts and bombs, resulting in 2,977 victims being killed. Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization led by him, were the main culprits behind the incident. Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in 2011, when the U.S. declared war on terrorism, following the 911 Terrorist Attacks. The 911 Terrorist Attacks, which brought great mourning to the United States, marks its 20^th Anniversary this year.

The 911 incident not only killed many people, but also caused more than 65 trillion won in Korean currency to be spent, including the value of buildings, emergency expenditures to punish terrorism, and federal aid to overcome disasters. Firefighters and volunteers who were engaged in rescue operations at the time, had a 19% incidence of cancer caused by dust and stress, with 343 firefighters and 23 police officers dying during rescue missions. New York City opened the, “911 Memorial Park,” to commemorate the victims, two square swimming pools were built at the site of the twin buildings, and the names of the victims are written on the railings of the swimming pool in the memorial park.

After the 911 Terrorist Attacks, the United States pointed out international terrorists, Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, as the main culprits of the terrorist attacks. The Taliban, who controlled Afghanistan at the time, asked for the delivery of Osama bin Laden, but when it was rejected, the U.S. and British led coalition deployed air power to Afghanistan and bombed the entire area. As a result, Afghanistan's Taliban regime collapsed, a transitional government was established, and the United States declared a war on terrorism. Finally, 10 years after the 911 Terrorist Attacks, Osama bin Laden was killed. Since then, the war between the United States and Afghanistan has not ended. The ensuing war killed 2,300 U.S. soldiers and poured $2 trillion into the Afghan War. When U.S. President Biden took office in 2021, he announced that he would withdraw his Afghan and American troops and the 20-year war ended.

Many memorial processions took place on the 20^th Anniversary of the 911 Terrorist Attacks. At the 911 Memorial Park in Manhattan, New York, mourners commemorated the victims' names written in the park with the American flag, and about 10 cyclists, consisting of incumbent firefighters, went across the country. Starting at the Santa Monica Pier, they are expected to arrive in New York within 40 days of the 911 Terrorist Attack. Cycling across the country commemorated the victims and raised funds for the victims' families. In addition, the Korean Student Association of the College of Music, which consists of Masters of ASU and Ph.D. performance majors, held a memorial concert to mark the 20th Anniversary of the 911 Terrorist Attacks. The 911 Terrorist Attacks were remembered and commemorated through concerts mainly composed of familiar programs, such as musical instrument solos, vocal solos, and a piano trio.

President Joe Biden, who visited all three sites in the 20th Anniversary of the 911 incident, emphasized national unity and said, “Our greatest power in the battle for the American soul is unity. Here, unity does not mean that we should believe in the same thing, but that we should have fundamental respect and faith in each other's country,” he said. We should all commemorate 911 in memory of the victims of terrorism and try not to forget the incident, hoping that there will be no more terrorism around the world.

By So Min-young, cub-reporter  minyoung_1216@naver.com

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