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Patriots 9/11/2001: And Not Just In Uniform

Written by veterans  |  08. September 2008

As we have learned on more than one occasion, the uniform of a patriot is not just one of the military. September 11, 2001 the chronology of the first 14 hours. Hour Minus One 7:55 a.m. (all times are EDT): American Airlines Flight 11 leaves Boston bound for Los Angeles. 8:00 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93 departs Newark bound for San Francisco. 8:10 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 departs Washington bound for Los Angeles. 8:15 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 175 departs Boston bound for Los Angeles. Hour One 8:45 a.m.: A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire. 8:55 a.m.: According to wire reports, President Bush, who is in Sarasota, Fla., is informed of the attacks. 9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes. Both buildings are burning. 9:17 a.m.: The Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York City area airports. 9:21 a.m.: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey orders all bridges and tunnels in the New York area closed. 9:30 a.m.: President Bush, speaking in Sarasota, Florida, says the country has suffered an "apparent terrorist attack." 9:40 a.m.: The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted. 9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately. Hour Two 9:45 a.m.: The White House evacuates. 9:57 a.m.: Bush departs from Florida. 10:05 a.m.: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building. 10:08 a.m.: Secret Service agents armed with automatic rifles are deployed into Lafayette Park across from the White House. 10:10 a.m.: A portion of the Pentagon collapses. 10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. 10:22 a.m.: In Washington, the State and Justice departments are evacuated, along with the World Bank. 10:24 a.m.: The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft flying into the United States are being diverted to Canada. 10:28 a.m.: The World Trade Center's north tower collapses from the top down as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke. Hour Three 10:45 a.m.: All federal office buildings in Washington are evacuated. 10.46 a.m.: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell cuts short his trip to Latin America to return to the United States. 11:16 a.m.: CNN reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are preparing emergency-response teams in a precautionary move. 11:26 a.m.: United Airlines reports that United Flight 93, en route from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, has crashed in Pennsylvania. The airline also says that it is "deeply concerned" about United Flight 175. Hour Four 12:04 p.m.: Los Angeles International Airport, the destination of three of the crashed airplanes, is evacuated. 12:15 p.m.: San Francisco International Airport is evacuated and shut down. The airport was the destination of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania. 12:15 p.m.: The Immigration and Naturalization Service say U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico are on the highest state of alert, but no decision has been made about closing borders. 12:30 p.m.: The FAA says 50 flights are in U.S. airspace, but none are reporting any problems. Hour Five 1:04 p.m.: Bush, speaking from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, says that all appropriate security measures are being taken, including putting the U.S. military on high alert worldwide. He asks for prayers for those killed or wounded in the attacks and says, "Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts." 1:27 p.m.: A state of emergency is declared by the city of Washington. 1:44 p.m.: The Pentagon says five warships and two aircraft carriers will leave the U.S. Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia, to protect the East Coast from further attack and to reduce the number of ships in port. The two carriers, the USS George Washington and the USS John F. Kennedy, are headed for the New York coast. The other ships headed to sea are frigates and guided missile destroyers capable of shooting down aircraft. Hour Six 1:48 p.m.: Bush leaves Barksdale Air Force Base aboard Air Force One and flies to an Air Force base in Nebraska. 2:30 p.m.: The FAA announces there will be no U.S. commercial air traffic until noon EDT Wednesday at the earliest. Hour Seven - Eight 3:55 p.m.: Karen Hughes, a White House counselor, says the president is at an undisclosed location, later revealed to be Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, and is conducting a National Security Council meeting by phone. Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice are in a secure facility at the White House. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is at the Pentagon. 4 p.m.: CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports that U.S. officials say there are "good indications" that Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, suspected of coordinating the bombings of two U.S. embassies in 1998, is involved in the attacks, based on "new and specific" information developed since the attacks. 4:10 p.m.: Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex is reported on fire. 4:25 p.m.: The American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange say they will remain closed Wednesday. 4:30 p.m.: The president leaves Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska aboard Air Force One to return to Washington. Hour Nine 5:15 p.m.: CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports fires are still burning in part of the Pentagon. 5:20 p.m.: The 47-story Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex collapses. The evacuated building is damaged when the twin towers across the street collapse earlier in the day. Other nearby buildings in the area remain ablaze. 5:30 p.m.: CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King reports that U.S. officials say the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania could have been headed for one of three possible targets: Camp David, the White House or the U.S. Capitol building. Hour Ten 6:40 p.m.: Rumsfeld, the U.S. defense secretary, holds a news conference in the Pentagon, noting the building is operational. "It will be in business tomorrow," he says. Hour Eleven 6:54 p.m.: Bush arrives back at the White House aboard Marine One and is scheduled to address the nation at 8:30 p.m. The president earlier landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland with a three-fighter jet escort. CNN's John King reports Laura Bush arrived earlier by motorcade from a "secure location." 7:02 p.m.: CNN's Paula Zahn reports the Marriott Hotel near the World Trade Center is on the verge of collapse and says some New York bridges are now open to outbound traffic. Hour Twelve 7:45 p.m.: The New York Police Department says that at least 78 officers are missing. The city also says that as many as half of the first 400 firefighters on the scene were killed. 8:30 p.m.: President Bush addresses the nation, saying "thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil" and asks for prayers for the families and friends of Tuesday's victims. "These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve," he says. The president says the U.S. government will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed the acts and those who harbor them. He adds that government offices in Washington are reopening for essential personnel Tuesday night and for all workers Wednesday. Hour Thirteen 9:22 p.m.: CNN's McIntyre reports the fire at the Pentagon is still burning and is considered contained but not under control. Patriots Lost 2,617 - The World Trade Center. 125 - The Pentagon. 92 - Flight 11, from Boston to Los Angeles, with 81 passengers and 11 crew, slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. 65 - Flight 175, Boston to Los Angeles, with 56 passengers and 9 crew, slammed into the World Trade Center's south tower. 64 - Flight 77, Washington DC to Los Angeles, with 58 passengers and 6 crew, slammed into the Pentagon. 40 - Flight 93, New Jersey to San Francisco, with 33 passengers and 7 crew, crashed in a field near a wooded area in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in Somerset County, a scant 20 minutes by air from the White House. In all, less than 90 minutes elapsed from the time the first flight slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center to the moment Flight 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The death toll of over 3,000 surpassed that of the 2,350 who were killed at Pearl Harbor in December 1941. --- Regards, Walt Schmidt

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