Today is the 21st anniversary of the 9-11 attacks

Miscellaneous
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Excerpt from Politico today:

It’s been 21 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and top U.S. officials are visiting the three major sites of the tragedy to remember the lives that were lost and honor their memory and legacy.

At the Pentagon: President JOE BIDEN attended a wreath-laying ceremony and delivered remarks to commemorate the anniversary.
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - SEPTEMBER 11: U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the 21st anniversary of the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon during the September 11th terrorist attacks at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial on September 11, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. The nation is marking the twenty-first anniversary of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, when the terrorist group al-Qaeda flew hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Center, Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Biden lays a wreath at the Pentagon on Sunday, Sept. 11. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
— What Biden said: “Grief is the price we pay for love,” Biden said, quoting the words from a message sent by QUEEN ELIZABETH II after the Sept. 11 attacks. “Many of us have experienced that grief, and you’ve all experienced it. And on this day, when the price feels so great, Jill and I are holding all of you close to our hearts.” More from Olivia Olander

— “Biden honors Sept. 11 victims as shadow of Afghan war looms,” by AP’s Colleen Long and Aamer Madhani

In New York: VP KAMALA HARRIS and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF participated in a commemoration ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial Museum.
New York City mayor Eric Adams, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Governor Kathy Hochul stand for the national anthem at the ceremony to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York.

Harris and Emhoff attend a commemoration in New York City on Sunday, Sept. 11. Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo
In Shanksville: First lady JILL BIDEN and Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND delivered remarks and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial Observance.
A sailor with the USS Somerset looks at the Wall of Names before a ceremony commemorating the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.

A sailor with the USS Somerset looks at the Wall of Names in Shanksville, Pa., Sunday, Sept. 11. Barry Reeger/AP Photo
— “Flight 93 families turn pain into purpose on 21st anniversary of 9/11,” by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Julian Routh

Big picture: “21 years after 9/11, the war has not ended for anyone,” by WaPo’s David Von Drehle

From the archives: “We’re the Only Plane in the Sky,” by Garrett Graff for POLITICO Mag … “What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind,” by Jennifer Senior for The Atlantic

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Had my cousin’s husband gone to work that day in 2001, he would’ve died. That plane fell on his office.

Who would’ve thought a bad case of the flu would save someone.

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My 9/11 story involves flying from JFK to LAX on that morning and being forced to land in SLC. I was stuck there for a few days until I was able to rent a car and drive back to Los Angeles. I had a few friends there, and we went to a bar to watch it

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I know a couple of guys who rented a car in Washington and drove across the country to get back to California.

I was flying quite a bit at that time, and I remember how strange it was to fly during the 4 to 6 weeks after the event. It gradually got better, but airports were very tense places for at least the first two weeks. I had to fly to Washington about 10 days after the attacks and drove right by the Pentagon. I’ll never forget staring at one entire side of the building, scorched black, a huge hole in the building and rubble still in piles around it. I remember thinking, “It looks like the building was bombed!” Then I thought again, “Well, it was.”

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I have a friend who was scheduled to be a flight attendant on UA93, but had to call in sick.

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When I hear stories like that I try hard to imagine what that must feel like. But I really can’t.

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She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever known. I’m certain the feelings are so mixed almost nobody could grasp what it’s like.

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I was a city administrator in downtown SLC on 9/11. The amount of strategic changes, planning and effort to redesign almost every detail of the 2002 Olympics after 9/11 was amazing. There were more US military personnel in downtown SLC than in Afghanistan during the Olympics. I’m exceptionally proud of every single person that worked as a high performing team to get everything ready to host the world in 4 months.

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I remember that time. There were more strict rules flying through SLC during the Olympics. Luckily, I just had to change planes there, I rarely had to go to SLC itself, although I went to see every single hockey game including the gold medal game between USA and Canada. I flew out after closing ceremonies, and I was stuck in the airport for hours waiting in the security line. I was standing next to a Canadian hockey player who had his gold medal with him.

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We hosted various hospitality houses to entertain dignitaries. Hands down the 2 best groups to party with were the Canadians and then surprisingly the South Koreans.

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