Compare And Contrast Essay On 9/11

On September 11, 2001, the world changed. It was said to be a beautiful day, almost perfect. Then in an instant, a plane smashed into one of the Twin Towers. The building instantly lit on fire and the whole city went into a panic. There was debris falling everywhere, and even six blocks away from the building, you could see dozens of papers raining down from the sky like ashes from a fire. Police officers and firefighters were constantly rushing in and out of the building, salvaging every single life they could. Most thought it was a freak accident, but some say they knew from the beginning. It seemed so tragic that nobody could imagine a person who would do something so horrible intentionally. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the second tower was hit.
This is when our nation realized that this was no accident.
We were under attack. After this disaster, our nation was never the same. We realized that we were never going to be safe in our own country. We could build a wall around us, but we couldn’t stop people from climbing over. We reflect on this day to remember all of the lives that ended many a year too early. We reflect on this day to remember all of the people that went through the grief of losing friends, relatives, and loved ones close to them. We reflect on this day to remember the people who gave their futures, their memories, and their dreams to save others. There were many saviors during 9/11. One with the name of Wells Crowther was credited with saving 18 lives. 18 may not seem like a big number, but think of the number of families and friends whose lives would have been permanently damaged if these people had not been
rescued. When Googling the definition of a hero, it says “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. To me, a hero is a person who goes out of their way to help others that are in need. Wells Crowther stood out to me because he chose to give his life. It wasn’t because he was a firefighter or police officer on duty and he had to or that he was given an order to. He made the decision to take a stand and lead people to safety outside of the building. He worked for Sandler O’Neill and Partners on the 104th floor of the South Tower as an equities trader. He used to be a volunteering firefighter, so he knew he could help in some way. One woman that he saved named Ling Young describes her experience: “Then out of nowhere, a young man burst in and took control. In a strong, authoritative voice, he directed [us] to the stairway — which was veiled by darkness, wreckage and haze — telling the injured to get out and the healthy to help them down”. This shows that he was not afraid to take authority and made sure to hold himself together to reassure the people. He perished when re-entering the South Tower right before it collapsed. His body was found on March 19 of 2002. There were many other heroes that stood out to me. One was Special Agent Leonard Hatton. He was on his way to work when he saw smoke coming from the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Even though he wasn’t even tasked with responding to the emergency, he rushed to the towers to help however he could. He entered one of the towers, helping victims escape until the towers fell. Another hero is Ronald Bucca. He was a firefighter on duty when the first twin tower was hit. He made it all the way to the 78th floor rescuing injured victims before the building collapsed. His remains were found on October 23, 2001 where a stairwell used to be. In recognition of his service in the military and his heroism shown on 9-11, a US Army was named Camp Bucca to honor him.