ScrapSayings, Tragedy, heroes, and War

  • An American Spirit

  • Adversity not only draws people together, but brings forth that beautiful inward friendship, just as the cold winter forms ice-figures on the window panes which the warmth of the sun effaces. - Søren Kierkegaard

  • Always present in the heart, untouched by passing years,
    the memories of a loved one are held forever dear.

  • Angels in Oklahoma

    It is our place to hear the call
    When stone and steel are caused to fall
    By senseless acts that cause you pain
    For which there is no goal or gain

    A gathering of so many souls
    Entrapped amidst this tragic toll
    Our work most difficult at times like this
    So many lost you all will miss

    There are no answers we can give
    To help you there continue to live
    Except to know that those now gone
    Will live with god and carry on

    Take some time for prayer while kneeling
    Let go the pain and start the healing
    The months ahead promise an uphill fight
    But there's angels there with you tonight

    - Sacred Poems

  • Color the world with love and peace. Color my world with hope! (world, rainbow)

  • Courage is not the absence of fear, instead it is the judgment that something else is more important than fear. It is why firefighters race into a burning building when everyone else is running out. It is why police officers put their lives on the line every day and why soldiers leave their families and homes to defend a nation. This is true courage and these are true HEROES.

  • Did you ever know that you're my hero,
    and everything I would like to be?
    I can fly higher than an eagle,
    for you are the wind beneath my wings.
    Bette Midler lyrics

  • The Day the World Changed

  • Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. - Robert F. Kennedy

  • Every crisis is an opportunity. Let us confront the crisis of worldwide apathy, despair and violence by taking the opportunity to join hands across this great earth on January 1, 2000 and rise together like the Phoenix from the ashes to create an active, a hopeful, a kinder civilization. - Victoria Principal

  • The few, the proud, the Marines.

  • Footsteps In The Sand
    One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him he looked back, at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troubled times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The LORD replied: "My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you, During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
    - Author unknown

  • Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. - Paul Boese

  • Giving Your All!

  • God Bless America / God Bless the USA

  • Going the Distance

  • Have a heart filled with gratitude for each other.

  • A helping hand shows a loving heart.

  • The HERO is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men. - Henry David Thoreau

  • A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. - Christopher Reeve

  • A hero would gladly die for his country, but would much rather live for his country. - Martin Sheen on West Wing

  • Home of the free … Because of the Brave

  • Honor to the soldier and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor also to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as he best can, the same cause. - Abraham Lincoln

  • Hooah! (slang term that can describe a hard-core attitude, great courage, giving respect to your fellow countrymen, or a willingness to face any challenge ahead.)

  • I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people convinced that they are about to change the world, I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference after another. - Ellen Goodman, American Journalist

  • I'm proud to be an American

  • If I Knew…

    If I knew it would be the last time
    That I'd see you fall asleep,
    I would tuck you in more tightly
    and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

    If I knew it would be the last time
    that I see you walk out the door,
    I would give you a hug and kiss
    and call you back for one more.

    If I knew it would be the last time
    I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
    I would video tape each action and word,
    so I could play them back day after day.

    If I knew it would be the last time,
    I could spare an extra minute
    to stop and say "I love you,"
    instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

    If I knew it would be the last time
    I would be there to share your day,
    Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
    so I can let just this one slip away.

    For surely there's always tomorrow
    to make up for an oversight,
    and we always get a second chance
    to make everything just right.

    There will always be another day
    to say "I love you,"
    And certainly there's another chance
    to say our "Anything I can do?"

    But just in case I might be wrong,
    and today is all I get,
    I'd like to say how much I love you
    and I hope we never forget.

    Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
    young or old alike,
    And today may be the last chance
    you get to hold your loved one tight.

    So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
    why not do it today?
    For if tomorrow never comes,
    you'll surely regret the day,

    That you didn't take that extra time
    for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
    and you were too busy to grant someone,
    what turned out to be their one last wish.

    So hold your loved ones close today,
    and whisper in their ear,
    Tell them how much you love them
    and that you'll always hold them dear

    Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
    "Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
    And if tomorrow never comes,
    you'll have no regrets about today.

  • If you see someone without a smile, give him yours.

  • If you want to see the brave, look at those who can forgive. - Bhagavad-Gita, Sanskrit Poem Incorporated Into the Mahabharata in approx 400BC

  • In defense of freedom, they have cleared the seas, charged the hills, and covered the skies. They have never let us down. - George W. Bush

  • Islamic Extremists are to Islam AS The KKK is to Christianity
    Talaban are to Afghanistan AS The Nazis were to Poland - Taken from West Wing, 2001

  • It is times like this that remind us of all that matters most in life… And we realize the things that matter most aren't really "things" at all.

  • Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. - John F. Kennedy

  • Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me.
    Let there be Peace on Earth the Peace that was meant to be.
    As God as our Father … Brothers all are we. (Family all are we)
    Let me walk with my Brother in perfect harmony.
    (Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony)

    Let Peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.
    With every step I take let this be my solemn vow.
    To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.
    Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me.

    Written by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson 1955

  • Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain. - Dwight D. Eisenhower

  • Little acts of kindness, little acts of love, bring us just a bit of heaven from God above.

  • Live with Joy, Love with unwavering generosity.

  • Love in any language, fluently spoken here. - Sandy Patty, religious singer

  • Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. - Martin Luther King

  • Mankind must put an end to war, or War will put an end to mankind. - John F. Kennedy

  • The many paths to honor

  • Memorial Day Thank You

    For knowing I have a place to wake up to a new day
    For the right to speak my mind and kneel quietly to pray

    For the dreams I strive to reach …for the love I am free to give
    For the laughter I share with my dearest friends … a necessity to live

    For security and peace of mind that all is safe and sound
    For growing, sharing, hoping, caring there is goodness all around

    For all of this we're grateful, whisper soft and loudly sing…
    Their duty and their sacrifice have let our freedom ring.

  • Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. - Winston Churchill

  • No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop

  • No farewell words were spoken, no time to say goodbye.
    You were gone before we knew it and only God knows why.

  • No person was ever honored for what he received.
    Honor has been the reward for what he gave. - Calvin Coolidge

  • Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could only do a little. - Edmund Burke

  • Out of the best and most productive years of each man's life, he should carve a segment in which he puts his private career aside to serve his community and his country, and thereby serve his children, his neighbors, his fellow men and the cause of freedom. - David Lilienthal

  • Our wish for the World:
    A place where Christ can find a home, hearts that love each other,
    Lives embraced by heaven's joy, helping one another.
    An end to terror, war and want, forgiveness of the past,
    Children safe from every harm … and peace on earth at last!!
    - Rebecca Barlow Jordan

  • A Prayer for America:

    We pray for understanding as to how and why this happened.
    For the strength to deal with the loss of life and loss of freedom.
    For the courage to eventually pick up the pieces and move on with lives.
    For the ability to one day forgive those responsible for this great loss.

    May God fill our hearts with love, help take away the sorrow,
    ease our pain, and help heal our wounds.
    May the laughter of the children help us remember that
    there is still good in the world.
    And, may the warmth of the sun shine down upon us
    and help us find our humanity once again.

  • She didn't know she kissed a hero

    (honoring Flight 93 whose passengers took the plane back from hijackers but crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001)

    He found some socks
    She chose his tie
    And when he left for work that morning he was just another guy
    Going to work
    He'd have to fly
    Out to a meeting in L.A. so she'd kissed him twice goodbye

    Little did she know she'd kissed a hero
    Though he'd always been one in her eyes
    But when faced with certain death
    He'd said a prayer and took a breath
    And led an army of true angels in the sky

    Little did she know she'd kissed a hero
    Though he'd always been an angel in her eyes
    Putting others first, it's true
    That's what heroes always do
    Now he doesn't need a pair of wings to fly

    The phone had rung
    His voice was calm
    Before he could tell her anything she knew something was wrong
    I love you so
    The last words he'd said
    She said I love you too
    And then the phone went dead

    Little did she know she'd kissed a hero
    Though he'd always been one in her eyes
    But when faced with certain death
    He'd said a prayer and took a breath
    And led an army of true angels in the sky

    Little did she know she'd kissed a hero
    Though he'd always been an angel in her eyes
    Putting others first, it's true
    That's what heroes always do
    Now he doesn't need a pair of wings to fly

    - Kristy Jackson

  • The shootings at Virgina Tech -- April 16, 2007

    If tears could build a stairway,
    and memories a lane.
    I would walk right up to heaven
    and bring you back again.
    No farewell words were spoken,
    No time to say "Goodbye".
    You were gone before I knew it,
    and only God knows why.
    My heart still aches with sadness,
    and secret tears still flow.
    What it meant to love you-
    No one can ever know.
    But now I know you want me
    to mourn for you no more;
    To remember all the happy times,
    life still has much in store.
    Since you'll never be forgotten,
    I pledge to you today --
    A hollowed place within my heart
    is where you'll always stay.

    We pray for the ones who passed for they will be missed.
    We pray for the families who have lost to regain courage and strength.
    We pray for the survivors for their faith shall grow stronger.
    We pray for the school administration through this time of need.
    We pray for the officials for their help, selfless contributions, and their devotion.
    Pray for EVERYONE at Virginia Tech and their families.

  • Simply the Best

  • A small blue marble bright, and infinite night. It's teaming populace, off-times blinded by personal ambition, Unites in tragedy.

    And those who watch from near and far are humbled by the sacrifice of a noble few who, with selfless valor, risk all for neither glory nor reward.

    Firefighters, medics, police officers and good Samaritans: History will recall them with a single name HEROES.

    Courage is not the absence of fear, instead it is the judgment that something else is more important than fear. It is why firefighters race into a burning building, why police officers put their lives on the line daily and why soldiers defend a nation.

  • Soldier: Duty, Service, Leadership, Teamwork, Thrill, Challenge, Active, Patriot, Defend, Guard, Patrol, Courage, Hero

  • The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight. They're our students and our teachers and our parents and our friends. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight. But every time we've measured our capacity to meet a challenge we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars.
    - Jeb Bartlet (Martin Sheen) on West Wing, aired shortly after 9/11

  • That is not to say that we can relax our readiness to defend ourselves. Our armament must be adequate to the needs, but our faith is not primarily in these machines of defense but in ourselves. - Admiral Chester Nimitz

  • There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction. - John F. Kennedy

  • There is so little we can do to help you bear your sorrow…
    There is so little we can say to help you through tomorrow…
    But may these few words comfort you and let you know somehow
    Our heartfelt thoughts and sympathy are there with you right now.

  • These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. - Thomas Paine

  • This life is your opportunity, your one chance to show what you are capable of -- and I try to make the most of that in all I do. - Jill Stevens

  • Those who bring sunshine to others can not keep it from themselves. - Sir James M. Barrie

  • Those who give up liberty for the sake of security, deserve neither liberty nor security. - Benjamin Franklin

  • Through thick or thin - Through it all, good friends/heroes are always there to answer your call.

  • To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. - George Washington

  • Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom, came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts, thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. - George W. Bush

  • Tough Times Don't Last - Tough People DO!

  • Truly, it is in darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest to all of us.
    - Meister Eckhart, 1260-1326, German Mystic

  • We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. - Winston Churchill

  • WE THE PEOPLE… in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty, to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
    - The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States

  • What happened on September 11, 2001 was not God's will. God's will was in the courage of every man, woman and child who stood up and came to the aid of a fellow human being. God's will was in the strength that was shown in the face of great tragedy and the desire to rebuild, to move on, and to do so with love.

  • What you hold in your hands, created with love, will prevail God willing.

  • When the heart grieves over what it has lost, The spirit rejoices over what it has left. - Sufi saying

  • When you are born, you are crying and everyone around you is smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you are smiling and everyone around you is crying.

  • Where Were You - Alan Jackson

    Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
    Out in the yard with your wife and children
    Working on some stage in LA
    Did you stand there in shock at the sight of
    That black smoke rising against that blue sky
    Did you shout out in anger
    In fear for your neighbor
    Or did you just sit down and cry

    Did you weep for the children
    Who lost their dear loved ones
    And pray for the ones who don't know
    Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
    And sob for the ones left below

    Did you burst out in pride
    For the red white and blue
    The heroes who died just doing what they do
    Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
    And look at yourself to what really matters

    I'm just a singer of simple songs
    I'm not a real political man
    I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
    The difference in Iraq and Iran
    But I know Jesus and I talk to God
    And I remember this from when I was young
    Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
    And the greatest is love

    Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
    Teaching a class full of innocent children
    Driving down some cold interstate
    Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
    In a crowded room did you feel alone
    Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
    Did you dust off that bible at home
    Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
    Close your eyes and not go to sleep
    Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
    Speak with some stranger on the street
    Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
    Go out and buy you a gun
    Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
    And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
    Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
    Stand in line and give your own blood
    Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
    Thank God you had somebody to love

    I'm just a singer of simple songs
    I'm not a real political man
    I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
    The difference in Iraq and Iran
    But I know Jesus and I talk to God
    And I remember this from when I was young
    Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
    And the greatest is love

    I'm just a singer of simple songs
    I'm not a real political man
    I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
    The difference in Iraq and Iran
    But I know Jesus and I talk to God
    And I remember this from when I was young
    Faith, hope and love are some good things he gave us
    And the greatest is love

    The greatest is love
    The greatest is love

    Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

  • You are the wind beneath my wings. - Bette Midler lyrics

  • Your life has been a lesson in love. Because of all the love you share and the caring things you do. It teaches us to reach out and help, to fix what is broken. With love alone you have changed my life and for that I'm truly grateful.


The War on Terrorism, Sept. 11 2001 Timeline:

8 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 with 92 people on board, takes off from Boston's Logan International Airport for Los Angeles.
8:14 a.m. United Air Lines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 with 65 people on board, takes off from Boston's Logan airport for Los Angeles.
8:21 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 with 64 people on board, takes off from Washington Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles.
8:40 a.m. Federal Aviation Administration notifies North American Aerospace Defense Command's Northeast Air Defense Sector about suspected hijacking of American Flight 11.
8:41 a.m. United Air Lines Flight 93, Boeing 757 with 44 people on board, takes off from Newark International Airport for San Francisco.
8:43 a.m. FAA notifies NORAD's Northeast Air Defense Sector about suspected hijacking of United Flight 175.
8:46 a.m. American Flight 11 crashes into north tower of World Trade Center.
9:03 a.m. United Flight 175 crashes into south tower of trade center.
9:08 a.m. FAA bans all takeoffs nationwide for flights going to or through its New York Center airspace.
9:21 a.m. All bridges and tunnels into Manhattan closed.
9:24 a.m. FAA notifies NORAD's Northeast Air Defense Sector about suspected hijacking of American Flight 77.
9:26 a.m. FAA bans takeoffs of all civilian aircraft.
9:31 a.m. President Bush, in Florida, calls crashes an "apparent terrorist attack on our country."
9:40 a.m. (approx.) American Flight 77 crashes into Pentagon.
9:45 a.m. FAA orders all aircraft to land at nearest airport as soon as practical. More than 4,500 aircraft in air at the time.
09:48 a.m. U.S. Capitol and White House's West Wing evacuated.
9:59 a.m. South tower of trade center collapses.
10:07 a.m. (approx.) United Flight 93 crashes in Pennsylvania field.
10:28 a.m. North tower of trade center collapses.
11 a.m. New York mayor orders evacuation of lower Manhattan.
1:04 p.m. From Barksdale Air Force base in Louisiana, Bush announces U.S. military on high alert worldwide.
2:51 p.m. Navy dispatches missile destroyers to New York and Washington.
3:07 p.m. Bush arrives at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
5:25 p.m. Empty 47-story building at Seven World Trade Center collapses.
7 p.m. Bush arrives at White House.
8:30 p.m. Bush addresses nation and vows to "find those responsible and bring them to justice." View the speech here.


The Road to War, Timeline:

Sept. 12 2001 10:53 AM, President George W. Bush holds a cabinet meeting, saying that the attacks "were more than acts of terror. They were acts of war." Bush labels attacks "acts of war," asks Congress to devote $20 billion to recovery. Allies join war on terrorism. NATO declares terrorism an attack on all 19 member states. The World grieves with the US. "They have wakened the sleeping giant again. God help them!"
5:00 PM, Attorney General John Ashcroft announces that some of the hijackers were pilots trained in the U.S.
7:00 PM, Candlelight vigils are held in Washington Square, Union Square, Central Park, and various other locations in New York City.

Sept. 13 Secretary of State Colin Powell identifies bin Laden as prime suspect. Limited commercial flights resume. The data recorder from United Airlines flight 93 is recovered. The United States National Transportation Safety Board, which usually investigates air disasters, issued a press release stating that the NTSB would assist the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and that the FBI would be "the lead investigative agency". On the orders of Elizabeth II, the Star-Spangled Banner is played during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. This unprecedented act was witnessed by a huge crowd, many singing along. At the orders of Vladimir Putin, Russia observes a moment's silence at noontime (Moscow time) with flags placed at half-staff throughout Russia "in memory of terrorist acts' victims" . National Football League and major-league baseball call off weekend games.

Sept. 14 Justice Department names 19 suspects in attacks; intelligence sources link them directly to bin Laden. Bush gives military authority to call up 50,000 reservists. Afghanistan's ruling Taliban warns of revenge if United States attacks. The Pentagon reports recovering both black boxes from flight AA 77 which crashed into the Pentagon. 12:00 PM Service led by Rev. Billy Graham at Washington National Cathedral, with President George W. Bush and past and present top officials in attendance. Bush gave remarks, beginning with "We are here in the middle hour of our grief." Canadian television covers a memorial service on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, which Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci presided over, and more than 100,000 people attended.
2:20 PM Colin Powell press briefing
3:40 PM President George W. Bush arrives in New York City. Later delivers 'Bullhorn Address'.

Sept. 15 Before 2:30 PM, the official New York City missing count has risen to 4972. Over 150 bodies have been found, 92 positively identified. Before 2:30 PM, the official death count at the Pentagon has risen to 189, including the 64 in the plane. Before 3:00 PM, Colin Powell says both Pakistan and Iran have closed their borders with Afghanistan. After intensive pressure from the Bush administration, Pakistan has agreed to act as a staging area for American air strikes and forces.
Afternoon: Four gunmen, including Francisco Roque, 42, go on a shooting rampage, they drove up in two pick-up trucks to a Chevron station in Mesa, AZ owned by Balbir Singh Sodhi, a 52 year old Sikh from Punjab, India, and shot him dead, possibly mistaking him for an Arab because of his turban. They don't kill anyone else, but hit another gas station and a home. In October 2003, Roque is sentenced by an Arizona jury to death by lethal injection.
Afternoon: An Egyptian-born Coptic Christian, Adel Karas, 48, was shot dead by two white males inside his International Market grocery store in San Gabriel, CA.
11:05 PM, a Pakistani immigrant and businessman, Waqar Hasan, 46, was shot dead in his store, Mom's Grocery, in downtown Dallas, TX - again, possibly because of his turban. Congress subsequently passed a private bill granting his family permanent residence.

Sept. 16 Bush pledges "crusade" to "rid the world of evil-doers." NFL cancels games for the weekend. A day of mourning in Australia for victims of September 11. This had been proclaimed by Australian Prime Minister John Howard earlier that week. He had been in Washington at the time of the attacks. The number of dead or unaccounted at the Pentagon remains 124, not including the 64 passengers on American Airlines flight 77. 88 remains have been recovered from the Pentagon and transported to Dover Air Force Base, Del. for identification. Tens of thousands of Afghani refugees stream toward the closed borders with Iran and Pakistan (there are already two million refugees in each country from the twenty years of Afghani-Soviet War then Afghan Civil War). Food and other aid can no longer get in.
PM, A 20-year-old Saudi Arabian student is stabbed three times in Boston by assailants yelling anti-Arab abuse as he leaves a nightclub.

Sept. 17 Wall Street trading resumes, ending stock market's longest shutdown since the Depression. Dow loses 684.81 points, its worst-ever one-day point drop.
4:00 PM EDT Rudy Giuliani conference: 5422 missing, 201 known dead, 135 identified. For the week to date, crime in New York City has been down 34 percent over the same week last year. 40,000 tons of debris have been removed. Conference of many Islamic leaders to meet in Afghanistan to determine their response to the U.S. ultimatum.

Sept. 18 Taliban leaders call on Muslims to wage holy war on United States if it attacks "We will bring the infidel to their knees". Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, beginning a ten day period to consider the sins of the past year and do better.
12:30 PM Rudy Giuliani press briefing: 49,553 tons removed to Fresh Kills Landfill in 3,788 trucks. 218 confirmed dead, 152 identified. 37 uniformed officers, 32 firefighters, 2 E.M.T.'s, 2 Port Authority Police officers and one New Jersey Fire Department firefighter.
2:30 PM Ari Fleischer press briefing. The U.S. intends to go after terrorism whenever it threatens the United States, not all terrorism. A mass candle vigil is held in Teheran, Iran to mourn the loss of life in the United States.

Sept. 19 Pentagon orders combat aircraft to Persian Gulf bases.
2:20 PM approx. Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki press briefing: two lanes of Brooklyn Bridge into city to open Thursday. The government is opening up 5.5 million ft2 (511,000 m2) of real estate for business. Individual family grants of up to $14,000 are available from the Dept. of Labor. The State Dept. of Health is giving $60 million to NYC hospitals. The business assistance center at 633 Third Ave. has received 5000 calls and 700 visitors. The city is hoping to get Battery Park North and South open in the next two days. The prayer service Sunday 9/23 at Yankee Stadium will be by ticket for families and the uniformed services (fire, police, etc.), and simulcast at Jumbotrons at Staten Island and Brooklyn baseball stadiums. The city has determined it would be too early for the Central Park memorial service originally planned.
4:00 PM, Dow Jones Industrial Average closes down 144.27 (1.62%) to 8759.13. Other indexes are down similarly. At its lowest point, the Dow Jones was down over 420 points. American and United airlines announce 40,000 layoffs.

Sept. 20 Stock markets continue dramatic slide. Pakistan general/president Musharraf gives speech asking country to go along with government decision to support United States -- allowing flights over airspace, supplying intelligence, etc. 40 Senators visit New York City to see the rescue and recovery effort firsthand. The official number of missing persons at the WTC rises dramatically to 6333, due to reports coming in from foreign countries. Bush announces new Cabinet-level Office of Homeland Security, to be led by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge.

Sept 21 In the morning hours, the Congress approves a bill to prop up the airline industry and establish a federal fund for victims. The cost of the mostly open-ended fund may reach about $15 billion. Victims of earlier terrorist attacks, including those linked to al-Qaida, were not included in the fund. Afghanistan press conference announces willingness to turn Osama bin Laden forcibly over only with evidence. United States reiterates it will not negotiate on demands. Tens of thousands demonstrate in Pakistan against the government's cooperation with United States. The official number of missing persons at the WTC continues to fluctuate, 6300s to 6500s. They come from over 60 countries. Stock markets continue dramatic slide. (for the United States, worst week since 1930s). A two-hour live telethon entitled America: A Tribute to Heroes, with musical performances and spoken tributes by top American performers, is simultaneously broadcast on nearly every network. Controversy over disbursement of the funds raised will later arise.

Sept. 22 United Arab Emirates cuts diplomatic ties with Taliban. Hundreds of millions of dollars of donations have been raised for American relief agencies. United States reschedules Pakistan's debt, and drops sanctions against Pakistan in return for its help with the "war on terror."

Sept. 23 The official count of bodies found at the site of the World Trade Center is 261; 194 have been identified. The official missing count at the World Trade Center is 6,453. Taliban claim they cannot find Osama bin Laden to deliver request that he leave the country of his own will. NFL games recommence. Interfaith memorial service, known as "Prayer for America," is held at Yankee Stadium.

Sept. 24 Bush orders U.S. financial institutions to freeze assets of 27 groups and individuals suspected of supporting terrorists or they will be accused of aiding and abetting terrorism. The official count of bodies found at the site of the World Trade Center is 276; 206 have been identified. The official missing count at the World Trade Center remains 6,453. After losing upwards of 1,300 points in the previous week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average posts its eighth biggest net gain in its history. It gains 368.05 points to 8,603.86.

Sept. 25 Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Taliban government. United States freezes assets of a list of terrorist groups included in this "war" (not the same as the existing 30-country list of terrorist organizations). Taliban shoot down an unmanned United States spy plane. U.S. stock markets rebound somewhat. Over 100,000 tons of debris have been removed from the World Trade Center site. It is clear that no remains will be found for a significant number of people.

Sept. 28 U.N. Security Council approves U.S.-sponsored resolution demanding all nations take sweeping action against terrorism.

Oct. 7 First air strikes launched in Afghanistan; targets include capital of Kabul, bin Laden training camps and Taliban bases. Bin Laden, in videotaped message, praises God for Sept. 11 attacks and swears America will never "dream of security" until"the infidels' armies leave the land of Muhammad."


Tips:

-- If you want to put newspaper articles in your scrapbook there are three suggestions:
1) spray the article (front and Back) with archival spray and let dry.
2) mount the article on acid-free paper
3) Make a copy of the article onto acid-free paper (chances are that your ink will not be acid-free but the paper will hold up better).

--Take time to document historical events in your life. "What happened", "When I heard about it I was…", "I felt…", "How my life changed…", "How the world changed…".