Five Years Later... The Wound Has Not Healed

It should have been a quiet morning... but a quick perusal of the morning news proved otherwise. Just as our eyes were digesting the miasma of misery that was unfolding as America started getting to work, a new flash and explosion on television told us, in no uncertain terms, that the one crash were trying to absorb on the television was being joined by another... and signaling incontrovertible proof that we were at war.

ANN went to work that morning not having the slightest idea of how the day would end or how many of our countrymen would lose their lives. By midnight, it was obvious that our work was far from over -- and that we were in for a horrific experience while documenting the harm coming our way. The following paragraphs are a copy of the first tenuous paragraphs that attempted to explain the inexplicable... the details changed throughout the day, and for many days thereafter -- the horror, surprise and confusion still feel real... and so, very, very raw -- still.

God bless and keep our fallen countrymen... and all those who loved them. -- Jim Campbell, ANN Editor-In-Chief

ANN's Opening Report: 09.11.01

America Under Attack

You'd have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to see what is happening to America at the moment. Obviously; TV reports will be updating this matter second by second but at the moment it appears that at least two air carrier class aircraft have been involved in what certainly appears to be a deliberate attack on the World Trade Center.

One of those aircraft has been reported to an American Airlines 767 out of Boston which impacted one of the WTC Towers.

The attacks have apparently lead to the collapse of both towers, with what must be an incredible loss of life as the normal population of both towers is reported to in the neighborhood of 50,000 people.

A Reuters report says that the aircraft was a hijacked American Airlines' Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles, according to Lori Bassani, the spokesperson for American's flight attendants union. Bassani, who said she was in a meeting with American officials in Fort Worth, Texas, American's headquarters, said if full, the flight on the Boeing 767 would carry 158 passengers. That would include two pilots and nine or 10 flight attendants, she said. She reported she did not know how many people were on board (some reports now put the POBs as 90 people). We have no idea what aircraft made the first impact but various reports indicate that it was on the order of a Boeing 737/757/767, with some reports now indicating that this was a hijacked United Airlines aircraft out of Dulles.

Additional reports indicate that a large attack has taken place on the Pentagon, also currently attributed to an aircraft (now reported as a Boeing). The FAA has ordered the grounding of all commercial aircraft and commercial airports all across the country are being shut down as fast as they can get the aircraft landed. The White House and most Federal Buildings in the District of Columbia (where a car bomb has now been reported to have exploded outside the State Department) have been ordered evacuated. Other reports of hijacked aircraft and aircraft crashes are coming in as we write this. Our ability to get data to the site, via the overloaded Internet has been slowed considerably, and we will report what seems appropriate as we can... but one thing is now assured, all of our lives have now changed in ways that we can only begin to imagine. ...

Addendum(s): We have confirmed reports that airports, small and large, all over the country are ordering aircraft of all kinds to land. Even small aircraft announcing their intention to head to uncontrolled airports for touch and goes are being told to head to their home airports and land. Canada's Transport Ministry has shut down all the airports in the country. The spokesman for Transport Minister David Collenette said the airports would allow planes diverted from the United States to land in Canada, as well as any landings required for humanitarian purposes. Earlier, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it was diverting US-bound transatlantic flights to Canada.

American Airlines has confirmed today that it lost two aircraft in these attacks. American said the flights were Flight 11, a Boeing 767 en route from Boston to Los Angeles with 81 passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots; and Flight 77, a Boeing 757 operating from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles with 58 passengers, four flight attendants and two pilots.

United Airlines confirmed that one of its passenger jets, Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco, crashed near Pittsburgh. United said the airplane was a Boeing 757. The airline said it had no other details of how many people were on board. United also said it was "deeply concerned" about another flight, No. 175, which departed from Boston. The airline said it had no details of that flight.

At this point, some FOUR aircraft have been reported to be involved in these attacks and have crashed.

While there is rampant speculation as to who may have masterminded this insanity, it behooves us to note that this is the anniversary of the 1978 Camp David Peace Accord.

FMI: www.9-11commission.gov