Millions of Americans sat stunned in front of TV sets on Sept. 11, 2001, as the worst foreign attacks on U.S. soil in history took place from the cockpits of four hijacked airliners-turned-weapons of destruction.
The images were horrifying: a plane burning in a Pennsylvania field after passengers intervened to bring it down en route to its target, the U.S. Capitol building, all on board lost; another diving into a wing of the Pentagon, sending employees to run for their lives; and, perhaps worst of all, two jets crashing into and leveling New York's iconic World Trade Center Twin Towers, 110 stories each, resulting in 2,753 known deaths.
Shock, disbelief and sadness descended upon a nation glued to the news in a pre-social media world. Meanwhile, those who experienced the devastation in person as they worked on site faced the grim reality firsthand – and many continue to feel the impact 23 years later.
