(All Scriptures are quoted from the New International Version of the Holy Bible).
America observes September 11 as Patriot Day each year to commemorate the lives lost on September 11, 2001, due to the terrorist attacks in our country. On that day, terrorists hijacked our country’s airlines to attack New York City, New York; Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, putting our nation on high alert.
In New York City, New York, two hijacked airplanes were flown by terrorists and crashed into two Twin Towers, known as the World Trade Centers, causing them to collapse with people inside and claiming about 2,753 lives (www.britannica.com).
In Arlington, Virginia, another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, a five-sided building containing the United States Department of Defense and the offices of the branches of the United States Armed Forces, claiming a total of 184 lives—people in the Pentagon and 64 people on the plane (www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/Pentagon-Memorial/). Luckily, the United States Department of Defense created a program under the Pentagon Renovation Program called the Phoenix to rebuild the Pentagon less than a year after the terrorists destroyed it (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Renovation_Program).
The terrorists on the last plane forced the passengers and the crew to go to the back of the airplane so the terrorists could gain control of the aircraft and plan an attack on Washington, D.C., the United States’ capital. Luckily, the terrorists were unable to carry out their plan because the passengers and the crew on the aircraft developed a strategy to report the hijacking. The passengers and the crew reported the hijacking by using the airfone on the plane and the cockpit voice recorder to capture the sounds of their struggles. Sounds of their struggles included shouts, screams, calls to action, and sounds of breaking glassware. To prevent the passengers from regaining control of the plane, the terrorists decided to crash the plane on a flight near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and claim 40 lives (www.nps.gov/flni/learn/historyculture/flight93story.htm).
On December 18, 2001, three months after the attacks, the United States Congress made a joint resolution to make September 11th a national holiday, known as Patriot Day. Each year since the attacks of terrorists, citizens in New York, New York; Arlington, Virginia; and Shanksville, Pennsylvania gather around to commemorate, mourn, and memorialize the loss of their relatives, coworkers, and fellow citizens from the collapse of the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon, and the plane crash.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks in our nation on September 11th, I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will help the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) provide extra security for passengers and crew members on every aircraft in our nation. TSA is a program under the United States Department of Homeland Security that regulates aviation security and operates airport screening checkpoints (www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/aviation-safety-security-information). The TSA supervises the FAMS created in 1961 to protect aviation from hijackers. The FAMS contains air marshals (also known as sky marshals), who are highly skilled law enforcement officers who protect passengers and crew members from security threats aboard a civil aircraft. Air marshals board domestic and international flights to ensure the safety of American aviators and passengers (www.forbes.com/advisor/education/law/become-an-air-marshal/). Therefore, I pray that the Lord will help the TSA and the FAMS provide tighter security for all airports and aircraft in our nation as Americans commemorate Patriot Day.
People take refuge under the shadow of the Lord’s wings (Psalm 36:7), where they will find shelter. Instantly, He will cover them with His feathers (Psalm 91:4). Therefore, I pray that the Lord will cover every aircraft in our country with His wings and feathers so every passenger and crew member on every airplane can have extra security and protection from future hijackers.
In closing, I pray that all the lives taken away by terrorism on this day will never be forgotten. May they always be remembered! May God bless America in Jesus’ name. Amen—Kenneth Sullivan.