PENNSYLVANIA – Communities in our region and around the nation paused yesterday to remember the tragic attack of the United States on September 11, 2001. Ceremonies were held at the three sites – in New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA – where commercial jets crashed after al-Qaida operatives took them over. Officials later concluded that the aircraft that crashed in Shanksville was headed toward Washington, DC. It went down after crew members and passengers tried to wrest control from the hijackers. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and left thousands of bereaved relatives and scarred survivors. The catastrophe also altered U.S. foreign policy, domestic security practices, and the mindset of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to attacks by foreign extremists.
