I honestly had a sinking feeling about the anniversary of 9/11. I felt like something was going to happen, whether security was increased or not. Granted, every anniversary of that date made me a little uneasy, but with all of the ceremonies going on, there were a lot of people out and around the areas of the original attacks. On 9/10, there was a news story about 14,000 rounds of ammunition being missing from Fort Bragg, NC. It was unnerving, especially with the timing. It could have been catastrophe, in sync with the anniversary of another. I reluctantly kept checking the news on my smartphone, in the hopes that no new story would be devastating. Thankfully, another attack on our nation didn't occur. My fear now is that our guard is going to go down and enable an attack to occur under our noses.
Total number killed in attacks (official figure as of 9/5/02): 2,819
Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343
Number of NYPD officers: 23
Number of Port Authority police officers: 37
Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200
Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98
Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124
Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99
Bodies found "intact": 289
Body parts found: 19,858
Number of families who got no remains: 1,717
Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000
Total units of donated blood actually used: 258
Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609
Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051
% of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20
Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115
Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402
Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614
Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million
And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today. 'Cause there ain't no doubt, I love this land. God bless the USA!
I dont understand how 14,000 rounds of ammunition of just vanish into thin air?!?! Somebody must have seen something, it's not like a toy poodle that one can shove under a bulky jacket.
ReplyDeleteI admit that there was a slight bit of fear, for the 10th anniversary of the biggest attack on American soil.
After 9/11 I've become thankful for living in a country were we don't live in a constant fear of IEDs and other horrible events on a daily basis.
Is What we do for our soldiers really enough; yeah they may be able to get better financing on vehicles, or go to college for a reduce price or for free, or save 10% off retail pricing; however is that really worth putting their lives on the line, missing many birthdays and Christmases, and other times the family gathers.