Recently Released Audio Details 9/11 Chaos

September 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

John Farmer, dean of the Rutgers law school, and a 9/11 Commission lawyer, along with students, has finished transcribing the recordings of the conversations between civilian and military authorities who watched events unfold on September 11, 2001.

Here is the link to the full transcript and audio:

(click on the red links within the transcript for the audio).

The recordings are a primary source of history, a record of that day. They are an example of a medium that will carry on the memory of the attacks for generations to come. These recordings show us how both civilian and military administrators were caught off guard by the hijackings. Gaps were revealed in their procedures and preparedness which forced them to rethink security and their response to terrorism.

Beyond the instructional value of these tapes for authorities, they display an amazing human element that a transcript alone could never reveal. With a heavy heart I listened to a number of the segments. There are flight controllers struggling to get a handle on the situation, air force officers scrambling fighter jets, people in the control towers reacting to news of planes crashing into the World Trade Center.

In one of the more sobering exchanges about Flight 93:

ID Tech: United nine three, have you got information on that yet?

Washington Center: Yeah, he’s down.

ID Tech: He’s down?

Washington Center: Yes.

ID Tech: When did he land?

Washington Center: He did not land.

ID Tech: He is down, down?

…

ZDC: That’s the last report, they don’t know exactly where.

Remains of one of the WTC buildings, October, 2001. Credit: Nick Siekierski

Although it has already been ten years since that day, it will be many more years before we have a firm handle on the events and consequences of 9/11. To honestly assess historical events we need the separation of decades.

In time, more information will turn up and additional materials will be declassified. A couple examples of this are the only known video of smoke rising from the crash site of Flight 93 which surfaced just days ago, and at least two audio tapes, one of the cockpit recording from the last 30 minutes of Flight 93 and a high level conference call including Vice President Dick Cheney, which are still classified.

The final exchange on the recently released recordings sums it up:

Surveillance Tech 1: Is today like a national terrorist day or something that we missed out on?

Surveillance Tech 2: Actually, ah, this is a day (indistinct) for a long time.

Surveillance Tech 1: September 11th, 2001.

If you listen closely, the (indistinct) is “we won’t forget”.

Very true.

We all have our memories of that Tuesday morning in September. What do you remember?

Filed Under: Archives, U.S. History Tagged With: ,

September 11, Ten Years On

September 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, my mom woke me up. It was a Tuesday in my third week of college. She turned on the TV and told me that my dad, who was in Europe on a business trip, called and said something was happening in New York.

The only image on the news was a view of black smoke billowing out of the north tower of the World Trade Center. I’d learn that American Airlines Flight 11 had crashed into it. While watching the smoke pour out of the building on the TV screen, I saw a passenger jet slam into the south tower of the WTC creating a spectacular fireball that shot out of the building. This was United Airlines Flight 175.

My first thought was that this had been a tragic accident. Once I saw the second plane I knew it was terrorism. News of the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania confirmed this fear.

In October 2001, I had the opportunity to accompany my dad on a business trip to New York. I still remember the approach to the city, with smoke still rising from the smoldering ruins in lower Manhattan. The few days I spent in New York were surreal and memorable in a way I know no other trip will be. New Yorkers, known for their fast pace and impatience, were all friendly and helpful, from the taxi drivers, to the waitresses to the storeowners and the people on the street. Despite the horror of the attacks, New Yorkers came together in an exceptional way and it was a privilege to see it firsthand.

While in New York I was able to walk to within a block of where the World Trade Center towers had stood. Cars and buildings were still covered in a thick layer of dust which had surged in a cloud out of the collapsing buildings.

Lower Manhattan, New York, October 2001

September 11, 2001, was a turning point in my life, like it was for so many other Americans and others around the world. From that day forward I took an intent interest in politics and world events. I knew that it was my responsibility as a citizen to be informed, for we had entered uncharted territory as a nation.

In front of the New York Stock Exchange, October 2001

Today we remember and pray for those killed ten years ago. Many of them died as heroes, selflessly working to save the lives of people they didn’t know. They all had families, friends, ambitions and passions. Their lives were cut short intentionally, because of an act of hatred. The most fitting tribute we can give to their memories is to treasure each day as if it were our last and to meet the challenge of fear and hatred with love for one another.

Filed Under: U.S. History Tagged With: ,