September 11 terror attacks fresh in US memory
Source: Agencies |
September 8, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE significance of September 11 has not waned for many Americans, even a decade after the attacks.
A new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in Chicago finds that more Americans now say September 11 had an impact on their lives than said so five years ago - 57 percent today compared with 50 percent in 2006.
As the US prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks, the horror that unfolded in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, still evokes emotions for everyday Americans.
Those feelings range from anger and shock at so many innocent lives lost to patriotism and pride in the heroes who emerged on hijacked planes and in the rubble of fallen buildings.
Lisa Schmidt, 48, of Vancouver, Washington, thinks about the events "just about every day" and almost every time she sees a airplane.
"The intensity of thinking about it, and confronting the thought of it, is still very uncomfortable, and I did not know anyone who was killed or injured," said Schmidt, owner of a marketing company. "It was a defining moment for how Americans define tragedy."
For some people, like Susan Garrison of Carthage, Tennessee, her fear of more attacks keeps her away from airports.
"I will not fly," said 54-year-old Garrison. She said she has not set foot on an airplane since the attacks. "These are the types of people who would get jobs in airports. If they want to kill people, they are going to do it."
Almost one-third, 32 percent, of those polled said they are concerned about becoming a victim of terrorism or having a family member harmed in an attack - down slightly from 38 percent in 2004.
In the poll, broad majorities said September 11 changed everything from the policy and spending decisions of the country's leaders to the unity of the American people. Eighty-eight percent said it brought them closer together.
A new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in Chicago finds that more Americans now say September 11 had an impact on their lives than said so five years ago - 57 percent today compared with 50 percent in 2006.
As the US prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks, the horror that unfolded in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, still evokes emotions for everyday Americans.
Those feelings range from anger and shock at so many innocent lives lost to patriotism and pride in the heroes who emerged on hijacked planes and in the rubble of fallen buildings.
Lisa Schmidt, 48, of Vancouver, Washington, thinks about the events "just about every day" and almost every time she sees a airplane.
"The intensity of thinking about it, and confronting the thought of it, is still very uncomfortable, and I did not know anyone who was killed or injured," said Schmidt, owner of a marketing company. "It was a defining moment for how Americans define tragedy."
For some people, like Susan Garrison of Carthage, Tennessee, her fear of more attacks keeps her away from airports.
"I will not fly," said 54-year-old Garrison. She said she has not set foot on an airplane since the attacks. "These are the types of people who would get jobs in airports. If they want to kill people, they are going to do it."
Almost one-third, 32 percent, of those polled said they are concerned about becoming a victim of terrorism or having a family member harmed in an attack - down slightly from 38 percent in 2004.
In the poll, broad majorities said September 11 changed everything from the policy and spending decisions of the country's leaders to the unity of the American people. Eighty-eight percent said it brought them closer together.
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