The Story in the Numbers

September 11, 2001, is a day that will live in the memory of the collective conscience of America.  The images of that day have been seared into the memory of so many of us forever.  I know I will never forget where I was when I first heard the news (on my way to circus class) or how I spent the day (trying to reach my sister who lived in NY at the time and my Dad who normally went to DC for work).  And so today, inspired by all of the news coverage, I decided to find out exactly how many people had died in the attacks, but found so much more.  Here's the day in numbers:

• 3,051 - estimated number of children who lost a parent
• 2,976 - total number of people killed in the attacks of 9/11
• 2,349 - number of civilians who were killed
• 1,609 - number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks
• 1,402 - number of employees who died in the Tower One
  
• 614 - number of employees who died in the Tower Two
• 343 - number of firefighters and paramedics killed
• 253 - number of crew members and airline passengers that were killed  
• 200 - number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001
• 125 - civilian and military personnel killed in the attack on the Pentagon
• 115 - number of countries who lost citizens in the attacks
• 37 - number of Port Authority police officers killed
• 23 - number of NYPD officers killed
• 20 - the percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks
• 19 - the number of terrorist hijackers
• 1,506,124 - tons of debris removed from Ground Zero 
• 99 - number of days fires continued to burn after the attack
• 98 - number of FDNY vehicles destroyed
• 4 - the number of planes hijacked
• 4 - number of countries the terrorists came from 
• 8:46 am - American Airlines Flight 11 was flown into the North Tower
• 9:03 am - United Airlines flight 175 was flown into the South Tower
• 9:37 am - American Airlines Flight 77 was flown into the Pentagon
• 9:59 am - time the South Tower collapsed
• 10:03 am - United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, PA
• 10:28 am - time the North Tower collapsed
• 5:21 pm - time 7 World Trade Center collapsed
• 10 - number of years since our country was changed forever

And since the attacks, 

• 2,000,000 - number of Americans who have gone to war since 9/11 
• 77 - number of Americans killed this morning in the bombing of a base in Afghanistan
• 2 - number of commercial planes that were escorted to their destination by fighters after reports of suspicious activity earlier today

These numbers tell a story so much greater than they indicate at first glance.  The number of NY city personnel that died is really the number of people that ran towards burning buildings, with gaping holes in them, to help people leave the buildings and try to put the fires out.  Imagine that for just a moment.  As people fled from the towers, those brave men and women ran in and began climbing to reach those who were unable to help themselves.

The number of children who lost a parent are girls whose fathers will never walk them down the aisle.  Boys whose mothers won't be there to straighten their ties before every major event in their lives.  Some of those children have memories to hold onto while others have only pictures and stories of the ones they were never able to love while they were still with us. 

The number of hijackers is the number of people who were willing to destroy the lives of so many people.  While more were involved in the planning of the attacks, these individuals actually boarded the planes with the intent to fly them into buildings filled with civilians and kill thousands of innocent people.  Yes, some of the men and women killed were military personnel and they had all agreed to give their lives, if necessary, in the defense of our great nation,  but this was hardly the type of situation in which you would imagine our soldiers might die.  I cannot imagine the evil that was involved in convincing those young men to commit murder on such a large scale.

But there are some things the numbers will never be able to provide.  The numbers cannot tell you how the widow of a NY firefighter feels every 9/11, which is both her wedding anniversary and the anniversary of her husband's death.  They do not tell you how my brother, who was just 7 when the attacks took place, was terrified to fly for several years after the attacks.  We will never know how many people fell to their death rather than remain in the smoke and flames that were engulfing them.  And although you can find the numbers for people that joined the military immediately after the attacks, the number of people who have lost their lives as the fight for freedom continues, and somewhere in some ultra secure location you could learn about the number of attacks that have been thwarted since that tragic day, the numbers cannot possibly begin to explain the horror of that day or the way it united us as a nation. 

Time and time again people say that we must never forget that day, but I don't know how anyone could ever forget it.  We will remember the events of 9/11/01, we will honor those that died, we will thank those who gave their lives or were willing to do so to save others, and we will rebuild the towers, but never will we forget.

The numbers above came from source, source, source, and source, and a report on Fox News.