Hollywood Casino Hotel and Campground, Joliet, Illinois
Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13
Twenty years ago today, the United States was attacked by a militant Islamic terrorist group called al-Qaeda as four carefully coordinated air craft crashed. Below is how Wikipedia reports the death toll:
During the September 11 attacks in 2001, 2,977 people were killed, 19 hijackers committed murder–suicide, and more than 6,000 others were injured.[1][2] The immediate deaths included 265 on the four planes (including the terrorists), 2,606 in the World Trade Center and in the surrounding area, and 125 at the Pentagon.[3][4] The attacks remain the deadliest terrorist act in world history.[5]
Most of those who perished were civilians except for 343 members of the NYC Fire Department; 71 law enforcement officers who died in the World Trade Center and on the ground in New York City;[6] another law enforcement officer who died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania;[7] 55 military personnel who died at the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia;[8] and the 19 terrorists who died on board the four aircraft. Of the 2,977 people who died, 2,605 were U.S. citizens[3] and 372 non-U.S. citizens[citation needed] (excluding the 19 perpetrators). More than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks,[9] including the United Kingdom (67 deaths), the Dominican Republic (47 deaths), India (41 deaths), Greece (39 deaths), South Korea (28 deaths), Canada (24 deaths), Japan (24 deaths), Colombia (18 deaths), Russia (18 deaths), Jamaica (16 deaths), Philippines (16 deaths), Mexico (15 deaths), Trinidad and Tobago (14 deaths), Ecuador (13 deaths), Australia (11 deaths), Germany (11 deaths), Italy (10 deaths), Bangladesh (6 deaths), Ireland (6 deaths), Pakistan (6 deaths), Poland (6 deaths), and Lithuania (1 death[10]).
A total of 2,751 victims were confirmed to have died in the initial attacks.[11] In 2007, the New York City medical examiner’s office began to add people who died of illnesses caused by exposure to dust from the site to the official death toll. The first such victim was a woman, a civil rights lawyer, who had died from a chronic lung condition in February 2002.[12] In September 2009, the office added a man who died in October 2008,[13] and in 2011, a male accountant who had died in December 2010.[14] This raises the number of victims at the World Trade Center site to 2,753, and the overall 9/11 death toll to 2,996.[2]
As of August 2013, medical authorities concluded that 1,140 people who worked, lived, or studied in Lower Manhattan at the time of the attack have been diagnosed with cancer as a result of “exposure to toxins at Ground Zero”.[15] In September 2014, it was reported that over 1,400 9/11 rescue workers who responded to the scene in the days and months after the attacks had since died.[16] At least 10 pregnancies were lost as a result of 9/11.[17]
How many of us have all but forgotten this tragedy? How many of us have failed to remember the horror we felt? How many of us have failed to remember? Just like many have forgotten the devastation of the Holocaust, or Pearl Harbor, or countless other acts of war and crimes against humanity.
Twenty years later, 40% of the of the people believed to have been killed, have yet to have their remains identified. 415 were firemen or policemen who gave their lives in rescue efforts. And that was just that day. Since then, hundreds (or maybe thousands) have, or are, dying from the side effects of ingesting the dust and debris.
Did you know that Ohio has five seasons? Winter, Spring Summer, Fall . . . . and Orange Barrel!
Today, we traversed three states, covering 296 miles. We began not too far from the eastern Illinois border, traveled all the way across Indiana, and stopped near the western edge of Ohio. We knew when we entered Ohio (even without the welcome sign) because we noticed the orange barrels right away. Then again, I think it’s always orange barrel season in Ohio.
There was a lot of traffic for much of the time – especially as we passed near the Chicago area.
(By the way . . . What’s 3/7s chicken, 2/3s cat, and 1/2 goat? Chi-ca-go! Old joke from my childhood 😊)
At the end, we were in small-town country. Very small town. With roads to match. But we made it, traveling on tiny roads that were paved, but only had room for one vehicle. Fortunately, no one came our way. Whew!
Van Buren State Park, Van Buren, Ohio
I neglected to take a picture of the Park once we arrived. We were too busy trying to figure out where we needed to go. Two nights here, and we’ll be on our way again.