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Smilingpatiently,JohnJonasanswersquestionsfromacrowdofcuriouspeople.Thestoryhasbeentoldandretold:
Jonas,thenCaptainofLadderCompany6,andhismenwereamongthefirsttorespondtotheWorldTradeCenterattackonSeptember11,2011.Theyrushedtothenorthtowertohelppeopleevacuate.Thecompanywastrappedindebrisfollowingthecollapseofthetower.ButtheyallsurvivedandrescuedaPortAuthorityworkernamedJosephineHarris.
“Wewereinthemiddleofrescuingawomanwhenthebuildingcollapsedontopofus,”saidJonas,nowDeputyChiefoftheNewYorkCityFireDepartment.TheyweretrappedinStairwayBofthenorthtower.Thetower“peeledawaylikeabanana”and“wewereatthebottom,”hesaid.
“Weweretrappedforoverfourhoursandwefinallygotoutthatday,”Jonassaid.“Prettyremarkablescene.”
JonasstoodinfrontofhisportraitintheTimeWarnerCenterinNewYorkCityonAugust24,attendingacommemorativeeventaheadofthe10thanniversaryoftheSeptember11terroristattacks.Thefreephotoexhibit,namedFacesofGroundZero―10YearsLater,featuresmorethan50life-sizedportraitsofpeopleaffectedbytheattacks,includingfirefighters,rescueworkers,familiesofvictims,survivors,caregivers,politiciansandstudentsatnearbyschools.
ThisexhibitisoneofthemanycommemorativeeventsaroundtheUnitedStatesmarkingthe10thanniversaryoftheterroristattacksontheWorldTradeCenterandthePentagon.
“IthinkI’mjusttryingtomakeacontribution,”saidphotographerJoeMcNallywhostartedshootingthefirstpictureshortlyafterSeptember11,2001.Itwasaverystressfultime.Peoplewereveryemotional,McNallysaid,rememberinghisfirstmeetingwiththesepeople.
“WhatIfound10yearslaterwiththefolksthatIstayedintouchwithandthatcamebackforphotographsisthatthereisanamazingpowerofthehumanspirit,”McNallytoldBeijingReview.“Livesarepositive,peoplearedoingthings.Theyarelivingtheirlivesandthey’regoingforward.”
Butnomatterhowreadythewholenationappearstobetomoveon,formanyAmericans,lifeforeverchangedafterthemostdeadlyterroristattackonU.S.soil,anAlQaedaattackthatkillednearly3,000people.
Ithastaken10yearstorebuildthegroundzerosites,butitmaytakeevenlongertorestorethepsychologicalhealthofthosewhowereemotionallyinvolvedinthetragedy.
TenyearsaftertheSeptember11terroristattacks,demonsstillhuntmanyAmericans.“Atleast10,000firefighters,policeofficersandciviliansexposedtotheterroristattackontheWorldTradeCenterhavebeenfoundtohavepost-traumaticstressdisorder,andinakindofmassgrieving,manyofthemhaveyettorecover,accordingtofigurescompiledbyNewYorkCity’sthreeSeptember11healthprograms,”saidTheNewYorkTimes.
“Howcanyouhealfromthat?
Youdon’thealfromthat,”JuanaLomisaidtoBeijingReview.ShewasaparamedicworkingfortheNewYorkDowntownHospitalwhentheWorldTradeCenterwasattacked,andwasamongthefirsttoarriveonthescenetohelpandrescuepeoplethere.
“Ihadtolivethroughthesceneofwhathappened,plustheaftermath,thecleanup,”Lomisaid.“Therewerealotofmomentsofnightmare,awholeyearofnotbeingabletosleep,awholeyearofrememberingthefirefighterswhousedtoworkacrossthestreetandlosttheirlives,”shesaid.
Butlifehastogoon.So“youlearntoembracethesituationandyoulearntolivewithitandmanagetodothebestyoucan,”saidLomi.
Highalert
Alothaschangedsincethetragedy.Andyetsomethingsremainthesame,oneofwhichistheconstantlyrepeatedquestiondeepintheheartofeveryAmerican:
“Arewesafer?
”
“Ourhomelandismoresecurethanitwas10yearsago,and,indeed,moresecurethanitwastwoyearsago,”saidSecretaryoftheU.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurity（DHS）JanetNapolitanoinherStateofHomelandSecurityspeechinJanuary.
TheDHSlaunchedanationalcampaigncalled“ifyouseesomething,saysomething”inJulylastyear,aimingtoraisepublicawarenessofindicatorsofterrorismandviolentcrimeandtoemphasizetheimportanceofreportingsuspiciousactivity.
ItwaslaunchedinconjunctionwiththerolloutoftheNationwideSuspiciousActivityReportingInitiative,aprogramledbytheU.S.DepartmentofJusticetocollectandsharereportsofsuspiciousactivitybypeopleinthecountry.
NewYorkCity’sMetropolitanTransportationAuthoritybeganusingthe“seesomething,saysomething”sloganin2003.Theprogramhasbeencreditedwitheffectivelythwartinganattemptedcarbombinginthecity’sTimesSquareinMay2010.AT-shirtvendorsawsmokecomingfromavehicleandreportedittothepolice,whothenpreventedtheexplosionfromhappening.
“Onlya‘whole-nationapproach’willbringustothelevelofsecurityandresiliencewerequire,”Napolitanosaid.“Realsecurityrequirestheengagementofourentiresociety,withgovernment,lawenforcement,theprivatesector,andthepublicallplayingtheirrespectiveroles.”
TheUnitedStateshastakenimportantstepstoimplementnewsecuritymeasuresduringthepastdecade,includingthedeploymentofnewtechnologyinaviationsecurityandtheincreaseofintelligencesharingandcooperationwithinthegovernment.ThesemeasureshaveprovedtobeeffectiveastherehasnotbeenanothermajorsuccessfulattackontheUnitedStatessincetheSeptember11attacks.
MichaelChertoff,formerDHSSecretary,saidinaNationalPublicRadioprograminJunethattheUnitedStateshasimprovedalotinrecentyearsinintegratingintelligence.“We’resimplymuchbetternowinnotonlycollectinginformation,includingopensourceinformation,butinintegratingitandmakinguseofitindecision-makinginrealtime,”saidChertoff.
Andthathasyieldedbenefits.ThekillingofAlQaedaleaderOsamabinLadenandtheimprovedabilitytodetecttravelerstotheUnitedStatesthroughairportsaretestamenttotheUnitedStates’enhancedcapabilityofintelligencecollection,hesaid.
PartlythankstointensiveintelligenceoperationsinsidePakistan,theUnitedStateshasmademajorstridesagainstAlQaedainthepastmonths.TheU.S.raidthateliminatedbinLadeninMayandthedronestrikethatkilledtheorganization’snewsecond-in-commandAtiyahAbdal-RahmaninAugusthavedeliveredheavyblowstoAlQaeda.
ButdespitetheU.S.Government’santiterrorismefforts,Americansexpressedmixedfeelingsonthecurrentsecuritysituationoftheirhomeland.Thecountrymaybesafernow,butit’sfarfromsafe.
ArecentonlinenationwidesurveycommissionedbytheFederalSignalCorp.andconductedbyZogbyInternationalregardingAmericans’publicsafetyconcerns10yearsaftertheSeptember11terroristattacksfoundhalfofAmericansfeeltheyarelesssafetodaythantheywerepriortotheSeptember11terroristattacks.
“Idon’tknowhowmuchsafertheworldhasbecome.Ijustdon’tseeit,”LeeIelpisaidtoBeijingReview.IelpiisaformerNewYorkCityfirefighterwholosthisfirefightersonintheSeptember11terroristattacks.Hehassinceworkedtobringcomforttofamiliesofvictimsandco-foundedtheTributeWTCVisitorsCenterthataimstoeducatepeopleaboutthewholetragiceventandterrorism.
WecannotjustdependonairportX-rays,Ielpisaid.“Itmightbealittlesaferflyingin,buthomegrownterroristsarehere.Wehavetobeconcernedaboutthat,”headded.
Strategyshift
TheU.S.GovernmentunveileditsnewnationalantiterrorismstrategyonJune29,withanincreasedfocusonsecurityinsideU.S.borders.PresidentBarackObamamadetheannouncementoneweekafterhedeclaredplanstowithdrawthousandsofU.S.troopsfromAfghanistan.
“ThisisthefirstantiterrorismstrategythatfocusesontheabilityofAlQaedaanditsnetworktoinspirepeopleintheUnitedStatestoattackusfromwithin.Indeed,thisisthefirstantiterrorismstrategythatdesignatesthehomelandasaprimaryareaofemphasisinourantiterrorismefforts,”saidJohnBrennan,theU.S.president’stopantiterrorismadviser.
BrennansaidtheUnitedStatescannotgoaftereveryterroristgroupandmustfocusattentiononthosethatseektoharmtheUnitedStates.ThegreatestdangertotheUnitedStates,Brennansaid,isstillAlQaedaanditsaffiliates.
ThecurrentadministrationhasintentionallyrefrainedfromusingwhatformerPresidentGeorgeW.Bushusedtocall“theglobalwaronterrorism.”Instead,theUnitedStatesisinawarwithAlQaeda,saidBrennan.
TheUnitedStateshaspaidaheftypricesinceitdeclareda“waronterror”aftertheSeptember11terroristattacks.AccordingtoareportbyscholarswiththeEisenhowerResearchProjectatBrownUniversity’sWatsonInstituteforInternationalStudiesreleasedearlierthisyear,inthepastdecadethewarsinAfghanistan,IraqandPakistanhavekilledatleast225,000peopleandwillcostAmericansbetween$3.2trillionand$4trillion,includingmedicalcareanddisabilitycoverageforcurrentandfuturewarveterans.
“ThecurrentU.S.fiscalsituationwilldriveU.S.policymakerstoconsiderthemostefficientandeffectivewaystomitigatetheterroristthreat.TherewillbelesssupportfordeployinglargenumbersofU.S.troopsabroad,”saidLisaCurtis,aseniorresearchfellowwiththeHeritageFoundationinWashington,D.C.,duringaninterviewwithBeijingReview.
Butshesaidit’sunlikelythatbudgetsforgatheringintelligence,buildingthecapacityofpartnersin
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