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| Good morning, friends of The Short List. It's John, and today marks a solemn anniversary: It's been 20 years since the al-Qaida terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. |
| Across the United States today, memorial events and observances will be held. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to visit all three sites where the attacks unfolded: the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed. |
| Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks. But apart from the grievous loss of life and psychological trauma, the attacks changed America in many other ways . They provided the impetus for U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the creation of the sprawling Department of Homeland Security. Tougher screening at airports completely changed our experience of travel. And some policymakers argued the country should be more engaged in the world, while others argued we needed to retreat to our borders. |
| Over the past week, the USA TODAY Network has been examining the 9/11 attacks and their legacy. Here are a few stories we think are worth a second look: |
| ►His photo – a grieving boy in a yellow raincoat – was published in People magazine, The Miami Herald, and The New York Times, breaking hearts wherever it appeared. That 8-year-old boy is a now 28-year-old man, older than his mother when she died. Kevin Villa says he's happy to tell his mother's story, still wanting to make her proud of him. |
| ►Though 9/11 was life-changing for older generations and a formative memory for many millennials, Gen Z has no collective memory of what happened that day. So what do they think of it? USA TODAY spoke with dozens of Gen Zers to see how the events shaped their worldview (or didn't). |
| ►Shanksville, Pennsylvania, became a destination for mourners from all over the world after United Airlines Flight 93 crashed there. The tiny town poured out its heart, assisting visitors to a makeshift memorial with food, coffee and firewood. But 20 years later, the town is struggling. Some residents say they feel disconnected from the permanent Flight 93 memorial site and just want to move on with their lives. |
| ►The story of 9/11 is a series of searing images. Here, we've compiled some of the photos that will forever define that terrible day. |
| As part of our coverage, we have republished stories from the first anniversary of 9/11. The detail and immediacy of these pieces is remarkable: |
| ►'Clear the skies': On Sept. 11, officials made the unprecedented decision to stop all air travel. Here's how the four most critical hours in aviation history unfolded. |
| ►How did they live? Miraculously, 20 people survived the collapse of the World Trade Center. These are their stories. |
| ►Delay meant death: Getting out of the World Trade Center alive meant listening to one's inner sense of panic, not following the rules. |
| ►Sept. 11 by the numbers: We took a look at some of the facts and figures related to the attacks and aftermath. |
| We hope we've been able to enrich your remembrance and observance of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Have a great weekend. |
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