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Kaden Katanic

Mr. Eric Ratica

Computer Applications 1

10 October 2017

Heroes of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

How often do you hear the words, see you later, or I love you? On the morning of

September 11, 2001, hundreds of people spoke those very words to people they loved as they

headed off to carry out their duties of the day. Now, in 2017, reflecting back to this tragic day in

the history of the United States many people will no longer take those precious words for

granted. The terrorist attacks that took place that day showed the pure evil in people can be

devastating to thousands of others, in contrast, these events also showed the good of many

Americans.

According to Kobe Bryant as reported in the Newsweek article, the real heroes of the

September 11 terrorist attacks were the men and women who were the first responders. The

police and fire fighters risked their lives in order to save hundreds of others. They ran into the

burning, collapsing buildings in an attempt to carefully rescue those who were injured and could

not physically get themselves out of the destroyed remains of the burning building. Bryant

quotes, “You try to learn from what happened. You can't be consumed by it. You can't live by it.

All you can do is just live.” (Newsweek Vol. 138, Issue 26) The advice from Bryant shows that

we must all live each day to the fullest and remember the real heroes of this tragic day… the fire

fighters and police who willingly sacrificed their own lives for the lives of others.

On a more personal, individual level, Jefferson Cowther was one of those real heroes on

this horrific day in American history. Jefferson worked in the Twin Towers on the 109th floor.
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On the morning of the attacks, he had a red handkerchief in his pocket that he used to tie around

his mouth and nose in order to keep the dust and smoke from entering directly into his lungs.

Crowther carried an injured lady over his shoulder as he helped escort countless people to safely

exit the building. He did not stop there though. He ran back into the building two more times to

rescue numerous more men and women as he carefully escorted them down twenty flights of

stairs. Sadly, this true American hero never made it out of the building himself that day. He

died saving the lives of others. Many who were rescued by this legend remember the red

handkerchief he had tied around his face, they now fondly refer to Cowther as the “Man in the

red bandanna”. A red bandanna hero award is given out annually to honor Cowthers selfless acts

of heroism on that dreadful day. The person receiving this very high and dignified award must

exemplify courageous acts of selflessness and heroism to be honored enough to receive this

distinction. The award helps his family to cope with the loss of their courageous son and to keep

his memory alive by awarded individuals who risk their lives to save others. Thankfully, there

has not been as catastrophic event comparable to this day in American history since it took place,

but there are countless ways to carry out Cowther’s true courage and heroism that an individual

can be eligible to receive this distinguished award. (People Vol. 87, Issue 20)

Amid the many heroes carrying survivors out of the Twin Towers, there was a former

Marine who heard of the tragedy and traveled from his mother’s home in Long Island to the site

of this devastation to see how he could help in any way possible. Jason Thomas, a Marine Corps

Sergeant, quickly decided to search for survivors in the piles and piles of ash and debris. This

conversation took place between him and two survivors: “When they reached a depression in the

rubble of what had been the south tower, he said, “I thought I heard someone. … So I yelled

down and they replied back that they were New York Port Authority police officers. “They asked
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us not to leave them.”” (Szoldra par. 28). Thomas was able to successfully save the lives of two

New York Port Authority police because of his courageous efforts and bravery to enter the

unstable pile of debris. (Tama, Business Insider 9-11-15)

Many countless stories have emerged recounting the true heroism displayed on the

dreadful day of September 11, 2001. Among the heroes that surfaced at the Twin Towers site

were others that were on the American Airlines flight 11 that was heading toward Los Angeles.

“One was Betty Ong, a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 from

Boston Logan (BOS) bound for LAX. Not long after take-off, terrorists stabbed

the purser and a first-class flight attendant and locked themselves in the cockpit.

Amid the terror of the flight, Ong found a crew phone and called her airline

colleagues. For over 20 minutes, she gave a detailed account and description of

the hijackers, even identifying their seat numbers. This information would help

the FBI quickly get their passport data and learn their identities. Watching as the

plane turned and flew over Manhattan Ong's last words were reportedly "Pray for

us. Pray for us." (Ong 1)

The heroic acts of this flight attendant and countless other airline workers undoubtedly saved

many lives on that fateful day. (Goldstein, Remembering Travel Industry Heroes on 9/11, 9-11-

17)

According to sources from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s office, these

people also were part of a very important group of heroes after the attacks happened. More than

$80 million dollars was spent to help identify the remains of so many lives lost that day. The

office was committed to continuing their efforts to identify the remains and report them to their

dear families that were anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones. Their goal was to link
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any fragment of human remains to a person in an effort to provide proof of their death for the

families who awaited this news. The heroic acts of the Examiners office provided much needed

closure to the grieving families. (Aronson p. 2).

According to Bob Riley, “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times

when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.” On the tragic day of September 11, 2001, there were

many heroes that stepped up to help save lives and comfort grieving families. American will be

forever changed due to these horrific actions by the terrorist group who so cowardly attacked

innocent lives. At the heart of this tragic event, many heroes were born. America was united on

this dreadful day.

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Works Cited

Aronson, Jay D. Who Owns the Dead ? Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press,

2016. Print.

Baker, K.C. "9/11 A True Heroes Legacy ." People 8 May 2017: 73-74. Print.

Bryant, Kobe. "I Won't Take 'See you later' For Granted." Newsweek 24 December 2001: 9.

Print.

Goldstein, Michael. Remembering Travel Industry Heroes on 9/11. 11 September 2017.

Electronic Source.

Tama, Mario. 7 Incredible Stories on Heroism 9/11. 11 September 2015. Electronic Source.