University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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The State of Story by Sarah Johnson Responding to the shock of terrorism and preparing for what was yet to come, the University came together to share in the mourning of our fellow citizens whose lives were ended by the hands of hate. In silence, students come together in shock and disbelief as they try to cope with the tragic events of Septmeber 1 1 . The Diag was a sea of solemn faces at the 9 p.m. candle- light vigil held that evening. . ,. .,

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United State of Grief Just after noon on Tuesday, September 1 1 , 2001 , campus was a numb- ing sight. Glass doors in Angell Hall, the Natural Science Building and the Chemistry Building all were flanked with flapping pink notices announcing that classes were cancelled. One student paced on the Diag, frantically dialing his cell phone and nervously pulling at his clothing. There was no answer from the other end of his call. He dropped the phone in his pocket, turned to a friend and put his head on her shoulder. Behind the solemn pair, a circle of students sat on the grass, their heads bowed, next to a large sign that said JUST PRAY. Every few minutes they struck a gong and the hollow sound of it echoed throughout the vicinity. Thatmorningsawtheworstterroristattackin American history. The events of thatTuesday left Americans trembling with grief and shaking with anger. Not since the bombing of Pearl Harbor had American soil been devastated so violently. At 8:45 a.m. a hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11, plummeted into the north tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. It tore a gaping hole in the building, which burst into flames, and began a wave of horror in New York City. Students in Ann Arbor woke to the news, and many glued themselves to their televisions, trying to absorb what had happened. The terror, however, had only just begun. Seventeen minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., a second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175, smashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. The plane exploded. Over midtown Manhattan, buildings were burning and chaos erupted in the streets below. As New Yorkers fled from the twin towers, the terrorists struck again in the nation ' s capital, Washington D.C. At 9:43 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Penta- gon, killing 1 26 civilians and crippling the national center of defense. Fearing the worst, the nation froze; occupants of the White House were evacuated, airports shut down, passages into and out of Manhattan were blocked off and all in-air flights were rerouted into Canada. Still, the wave of terror was not over. Horror washed over campus and America again when, at 10a.m., the south tower of the WorldTrade Center collapsed. A massive cloud of dust and debris billowed over New York when the tower crumpled into the street, killing thousands of workers trapped insideand rescue personnel in the streets below. At 1 0:1 a.m. United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashed in Somerset County, PA., southeast of Pittsburgh. It was unknown where that plane was intended to strike; speculations included the White House, Capital Building or Camp David. At 10:28 a.m. the nation gasped when the World Trade Center ' s north tower folded and plummeted as the south 20 I Attack on America