Date of Visit: 11 Sep 2019
9/11 Terrorist Attacks
No one will ever forget the horrifying images of the two 110-storey World Trade Center twin towers crumbling down after terrorists hijacked airplanes crashed into them.
There was a sense of despair and end-of-the-world feeling in the minds of many people and within many communities around the world.
Why? Because there were fears even worst attacks might be launched following 9/11/2001 attacks and humanity might head towards self-destruction.
The attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,996 people, including innocent civilians, heroic firefighters, police officers, and military personnel involved in the post-attack rescue missions.
A Wish for World Peace
The world and humanity are battling the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and many other challenges, there is no room for self-inflicted harms caused by terrorist attacks or wars.
When I was in New York for US Tennis Open in 2019, I made it a point to visit the 9/11 memorial on 11 Sep 2019. The visit on this specific day was to wish for world peace and for humanity to stop sacrificing any innocent lives in pursuit of whatever political or social cause or out of hatred or as revenge.
Post 9/11 Cleanup
The 9/11 attacks resulted in 1.8 m tons of wreckage and debris at the World Trade Center site to clean up. The debris removal and cleanup continued every day around the clock until May 2002 when the site was finally declared cleared. The debris removal and cleanup cost US$5 billion.
Following that, the US government prioritised the rebuild as a symbol of American resilience and triumph over terrorism. The re-build of the World Trade Center complex incorporated the National September 11 Memorial and Museum to memorialize the September 11 attacks.
By Jun 2018, new World Trade Center buildings that are open to the public are One, 3, 4, 7 World Trade Center buildings, the Transportation Hub, and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
Only 2 World Trade Center and the Performance Art Center are still in construction as of 11 Sep 2021.
Re-build of World Tarde Center
Following that, the re-build of the World Trade Center complex incorporated the National September 11 Memorial and Museum to memorialize the September 11 attacks.
The US government prioritised the rebuild as a symbol of American resilience and triumph over terrorism.
By Jun 2018, World Trade Center buildings that are open to the public are One, 3, 4, 7 World Trade Center buildings, the Transportation Hub, and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Only 2 World Trade Center and the Performance Art Center are still in construction as of 11 Sep 2021.
National September 11 Memorial and Museum
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum occupies about half of the World Trade Center site and consists of 2 huge pools, set within the footprints of the original twin towers that had collapsed. Within each pool, there are manmade waterfalls. The names of every people who died in the 9/11 attacks are inscribed and honoured in bronze parapets surrounding the twin pools.
The Museum serves as the main institute recording details of the 9/11 attacks and paying tribute to those who died tragically, those who survived, as well as those who displayed extraordinary courage and compassion following the attack.
New World Trade Center Complex
The new World Trade Center complex will have 5 mixed-use office towers: One, 2, 3, 4, 7 World Trade Center building towers. The 104-storey One World Trade Center is the tallest of the 5 buildings and has a height of 1,776 feet (541 meters) including the spire at the top, symbolically higher than the original One World Trade Center tower which had a height of 1,368 feet (417 m).
World Trade Center Transportation Hub
Notably, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, incorporating 2 stations: WTC Transportation Hub station and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Fulton Transit Center station, provides direct in-building access to 12 subway lines and Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH) trains, thus making the World Trade Center complex one of the most convenient places to access in New York City.
New chapter of world peace?
The opening of the new World Tarde Center complex represents a new chapter in US history. It is my wish that it is also a new chapter of world peace.
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The opening of the new World Tarde Center complex represents a new chapter in US history. It is my wish that it is also a new chapter of world peace.