Never forgotten

Sept. 11, 2001, is a date so ingrained in American consciousness that those who were alive at the time can often remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.

On that day, 19 terrorists associated with al-Qaida hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the U.S. All flights were bound for California and had left airports on the East Coast that morning.

At 8:46 a.m. EST that sunny Tuesday morning, American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel, hit the World Trade Center north tower in New York City, New York, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more on the building’s upper floors. The flight had departed Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, with a crew of 11 and 76 passengers, not including the five hijackers.

While many initial reports and onlookers thought the crash to be an accident, it became clear that this was a deliberate attack when United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 that had also flown out of Boston that morning, crashed into the World Trade Center south tower at 9:03 a.m., killing the nine-member crew and 51 passengers. Hundreds more were killed and trapped in the building.

American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 that had departed from Washington Dulles International Airport that morning, was deliberately flown into the west side of the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., killing the crew of six and 53 passengers as well as 125 people on the ground.

At 9:59 a.m., the World Trade Center south tower collapsed, killing over 800 people in the building and the surrounding area.

At 10:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into the ground near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. The flight had left Newark, New Jersey, with a seven-person crew and 33 passengers. The passengers revolted against the hijackers to prevent it from reaching its target.

The World Trade Center north tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m., killing more than 1,600 people in the building and the surrounding area.

The day’s attacks killed a total of 2,996 people, and major U.S. efforts to fight terrorism followed. Operation Enduring Freedom began in October 2001 and aimed to remove the Taliban from Afghanistan and destroy the terrorist networks there. U.S. forces tracked down and killed Osama bin Laden, one of the masterminds behind the attacks, on May 2, 2011, in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Ferguson recalls trip to D.C. at time of attacks

As was the case with people across the country, Holyoke residents responded with support and patriotism.

American flags could be seen in front of people’s houses and businesses. The Sept. 20, 2001, edition of The Holyoke Enterprise reported that Phillips County commissioners adopted a resolution on Sept. 14, 2001, condemning the attacks and pledging support of President George W. Bush in his efforts to defend against further attacks. The resolution also encouraged citizens to give blood as needed to support relief efforts.

Students at Holyoke JR/SR High School prayed together on Sept. 14, 2001, which was the National Day of Prayer. Students also dressed in patriotic colors for Red, White and Blue Day at school Monday, Sept. 17, 2001. The fourth grade classes at Holyoke Elementary School went door to door to collect money for the Red Cross to help victims of the attacks.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Holyoke Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Holly Ferguson was in Washington, D.C., as a youth delegate with Rocky Mountain Farmers Union lobbying for the farm bill.

She was in college at the time, and she said that although the memory of that day hasn’t faded much, parts of it are a blur ­— not because 20 years have passed but because she remembers a sense that no one seemed to know what was going on at the time. “I did not wake up that morning and think that life as I knew it was about to change,” she said.

She was in Sen. Ben Night­horse Campbell’s waiting room when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Like so many others, she thought it must have been a tragic accident, and she distinctly remembers feeling sorrow for those who lost their lives.

She was speaking with Campbell in his office when news of the second plane hitting the World Trade Center reached them. She said this was when she and others began to realize it wasn’t just an accident.

Ferguson remembers being in the office of a senator from New Mexico when news arrived that a plane had been flown into the Pentagon, which she had just toured the night before. “All of a sudden, it’s happening where I’m at,” she said. It was at this point that Secret Service agents began to swarm the congressional offices. Ferguson saw a line of black SUVs parked outside.

She left the building on foot with her group. Outside, people were running through the streets and she could hear sirens. “There was a whole bunch of chaos, but also this weird stillness,” she said.

She was concerned about the safety of her mother, Teri, who worked as a flight attendant on East Coast flights. Ferguson pointed out that technology at the time was far different than it is today, which made communication that much more difficult since cell services were jammed. Her father, Chuck, was harvesting and didn’t find out until later that evening, after Ferguson was finally able to reach her hotel and get ahold of both of her parents.

Getting to the hotel was an ordeal in itself. People knew there was a fourth plane that had been hijacked, and Ferguson remembers running through the streets wondering what she would do if that plane crashed nearby.

At one point, she heard a sonic boom from a fighter jet flying over D.C. and thought it was an explosion. Traffic wasn’t moving, and Ferguson said she went into survival mode to try to reach safety. She said it was a fight-or-flight situation. “You’re just doing what you have to do,” she added.

After reaching the hotel and contacting her parents, Ferguson’s focus was now on getting home. Since air travel was shut down, she had to find an alternative mode of transportation. Within her group was a delegation from North Dakota and South Dakota that had one seat left on the bus they took to D.C. Ferguson rode the bus across the country to North Dakota, where she stayed with a friend. From there she took a Greyhound bus to Denver, where her mother picked her up at the bus station.

“I remember seeing the skyscrapers of Denver and thinking, ‘Thank goodness I’m home,’” Ferguson said, acknowledging the relief she felt after the whirlwind of events she had just experienced. She said it took at least a week for her to get home, and she remembers the heightened anxieties everyone seemed to feel about what could be coming next.

“I’m thankful that I made it home and was fortunate enough to make it out of such a tragic day with my life, and I’m sad for those that didn’t,” Ferguson said. “I’m thankful for the heroes that came out of that day, too,” she added.

There’s no doubt that her thoughts of the heroes not only from that day but also those who emerged in the subsequent efforts to combat terrorism in the 20 years since are echoed by millions of Americans as we strive to never forget.