I remember today that as a Filipino travelling to New York 21 years ago I was seriously in harm's way. But the event taught me three very important lessons. First, terror never wins; second, the root cause of terrorism is injustice or perception of injustice; and third, there is no power on earth that is completely immune to terrorism.
Today is the 21st anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001 against the US. Al-Qaeda made a strong and emphatic statement embarrassing the USA by devastating New York, the symbol of its economic power; hitting the Pentagon, to shame the military might of America; and attempting to attack the White House, to crumble its political supremacy. But terror never wins. I was, at that time, at the JFK International Airport, just landing from Europe and I, as a dyed-in-the-wool journalist, tried to cover the event.
I was going to the Pepsi-Cola Headquarters in New York as the Pepsi Philippines' Vice President for HR, Legal and Corporate Affairs. But more than a corporate executive, I have always been a reporter of news and current events. Thus, the better of me took over my mission.
There were really four coordinated attacks that day executed by 19 terrorists ready to die. The plan was to hijack four planes from different locations and then purposely crash them into strategic buildings to sow terror of unprecedented magnitude that would shake the world. The first two targets were the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (WTC). Those two attacks were considered a tremendous success by Al-Qaeda. The second target was the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The terrorists considered the execution partially successful. The fourth attack was poised to hit the White House. It was a total failure because the passengers of the plane fought the hijackers and the ultimate devastation was thus foiled. This can be a fourth lesson: When good men are ready to die, terrorism can be derailed.
The first plane to hit the target was American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the North Tower of the WTC at 8:46 a.m. I just landed at 8:05 a.m. and was waiting for my luggage when the airport turned into pandemonium. I could not leave the airport as my welcoming team was stranded along the way. And so, I transformed myself into an instant journalist and radio reporter sending messages to Manila to my print and broadcast home grounds. Seventeen minutes from first impact, the second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, hit the South Tower. Both towers collapsed an hour and 42 minutes later, killing thousands and totally devastating the WTC and its nearby structures, including the 7 WTC. At 9:37 a.m., the third plane, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, causing its partial collapse.
The fourth plane was another story. United Airlines Flight 93 was flown by the terrorists in the direction of the White House. The passengers already knew about the three earlier attacks and so, they decided to offer their lives to save the president of the USA. They fought the terrorists and attempted to regain control of the aircraft. As a result, the plane crashed in Stonycreek town in Pennsylvania. Testimonies of witnesses indicated that Flight 93 was aimed at the White House as first priority but, if unsuccessful, to hit the Capitol. Either way, Al-Qaeda could have bragged that they have ruined America's center of political power. But terror never wins when good men decide to resist even at the expense of their own lives.
The inventory of casualties indicate 2,977 innocent victims killed, 19 terrorists killed themselves, and more than 6,000 others badly injured, many permanently and totally disabled. Most victims were civilians except the 343 New York firemen, 71 law enforcement officers, and 55 military personnel who died in the Pentagon attack, At least 109 countries including the Philippines lost nationals due to the worst terror attack in history.
On December 13, 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured in Iraq. On May 2, 2011, by President Barack Obama's orders, Osama Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan. On October 20, 2011, also under President Obama’s orders, Muamar Khadaffi was captured in Libya. There is no justice even when people are killed. Justice is only in the hands of God. That is the fifth lesson I learned from my scary experience in New York. I am not inclined to go through it again.