On This Day In History

Twenty four years ago I was driving to the office listening to WHAD’s Tom Clark interview someone in New York City.  The interview was punctuated by the interviewee in New York noting that first responders had been dispatched following initial reports of a small plane crashing into one of the World Trade Center towers. 

Arriving at the day job I found Mike had live coverage of the smoking tower on the television in his office. Details were sketchy.  As we speculated upon the crazy notion of how someone could possibly fly into a skyscraper a second plane crashed into the other tower - a commercial airliner.  We knew then that it was no small aircraft that struck the first.  That tower collapsed and we watched until the second structure fell. 

Four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda on that day.  So as we reflect-upon the solemnity of this anniversary let us not forget that that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabia citizens.  Dozens of well-connected Saudis had fled the United States on chartered flights in the days after 9/11.  The House of Saud is a notoriously loathsome collection of individuals.  The gruesome murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is further evidence of its odious persistence. 

As far back as the early 1980s I enjoyed multiple opportunities to tour the towers. This photo was snapped on the observation deck. I have some photos of Connie Chung doing a live broadcast from the CNN studio.  I’ve even dined at the 107th floor Windows on the World restaurant.  

That day almost two and a half decades-ago was a seriously bad day.  Strange how all of the details remain so fresh in the present day.  My Pearl Harbor life event I suppose.

Ask if you would include the Saudi royal family among your friends.....