September 11, 2021 is one of the bloodiest dates in the history of the United States of America. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, and more than 6,000 people were injured. The attack was carried out by 19 Al-Qaeda militants using four hijacked civilian aircraft.
The attack caused major changes in US policy at the internal and external levels, especially the restructuring of the national security services and the launch of war on Afghanistan.
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the phrase “We will never forget” was echoed across the United States. However, as nearly 25 years have passed, some survivors worry that this promise is fading.
"Everyone will forget with time"
Gordon Huey, a survivor of the bloody September 11 attack, said in an interview exclusively with Deutsche Welle (DW): "Everyone will forget with the passage of time. About 350 survivors like me will disappear. Our lifespan is very limited. When we leave, these people here will have no idea what happened."
Gordon Huey was in Lower Manhattan (the southern part of Manhattan Island) when the planes collided with the World Trade Center towers. When he reached the second tower to help, the tower collapsed. He is now suffering from cancer. Gordon works as an orthopedic surgeon and has dedicated himself to ensuring that people do not forget what happened on September 11, 2001, the day that changed his life forever.
Gordon looked back in his memory in an attempt to reconstruct the picture of the first moments after the attack. He said in this regard: “The operating room did not need me, but they needed all the medical personnel present because the rest of the hospital was in dire need of medical support.”
He added: "They gave me a conference room on the fourth floor. It was very strange because on the hard floor of the conference room... I started stitching people's wounds and restoring their bodies."
Deep wound!
Gordon Huey lost his older sister, Susan, in the September 11 attack. Susan was attending a business meeting in one of the Twin Towers when the plane crashed into it.
Gordon Huey believes that he did not know what to do after the attack. He said in this regard: "I returned home, and my daughter Kelly was only four years old. How can one comprehend something like this? Who are you talking to?"
Gordon continued: “I was hiding my feelings and I felt like I was about to explode, but I needed Kelly to stay calm. I was missing my sister, and I needed to talk to someone, but who was I going to talk to?”
For Gordon, telling his story is not just about his personal loss. He fears that the younger generation, who did not live through the events of September 11 themselves, will grow up and know little about what happened.
The same speaker continued his words, saying: “When I ask any American child, or any high school student, and I say to him: Open an American history book and tell me what happened on September 11!” He added, "They will open that one section. There will be one paragraph to describe the three areas of our country that were attacked on September 11, 2001. And that is all they know."
25th anniversary of the attack
On September 11, 2026, the United States marks the 25th anniversary of the attack. The British newspaper "The Independent" reported that the US presidents who are still alive have confirmed their intention to attend the ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York City. The "Ground Zero" site (former site of the World Trade Center Twin Towers) is visited.
On the other hand, the American network CNN reported that current President Donald Trump will miss this event because he is not allowed to give a speech. She added that Trump will mark this occasion by delivering a speech at the Pentagon.
Last year, Donald Trump said, "In America, we take blows but we never collapse. We bleed but we do not kneel. We defy fear and withstand the fire, and we emerge from the crucible of every adversity stronger, prouder and greater than ever before," according to the Independent newspaper.
The New York Times reported that former US President Joe Biden confirmed his attendance, accompanied by former First Lady Jill Biden. Biden will also join former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, while Vice President J.D. Vance will represent the White House at the New York ceremony.
As for the survivor of the September 11 attacks, Gordon Huey, he wishes that “politics were not present.” He added in his statements to Deutsche Welle that: “Unfortunately, politics will overshadow the entire matter.”
