Nine lives, 10 years later

The skeptic who was there

April Gallop was in the Pentagon with her son, Elisha, on Sept. 11, 2001. (Bonnie Jo Mount/Post)

Steve Hendrix

NINTH IN A SERIES | She was working at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, the day that things stopped making sense.

Living with ‘if only’

EIGHTH IN A SERIES | A daughter’s small, considerate choice has a profound, unknowable consequence.

The wounded man

SEVENTH IN A SERIES | Since Sept. 11, 2001, Don Brennan, a Pentagon police officer, has been unable to forget the wounded man he tried to help.

After loss, working to fill the void

SIXTH IN A SERIES | After Floyd Rasmussen lost his wife Rhonda at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, he looked for a way to fill the void and ended up finding his current wife, Brenda.

Still feeling at home up in the sky

FIFTH IN A SERIES | Flight attendant Dannye Drake-Ivey was supposed to fly on Sept. 11, 2001. Now, 10 years after the attacks, she still lives in the sky.

After 9/11, security guard on high alert

FOURTH IN A SERIES | Chris Stegherr is one of the security guards who was hired after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. More than a million guards — double the number in the nation’s workforce a decade ago — are patrolling public spaces.

Brought together by catastrophe

THIRD IN A SERIES | He survived the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. He never imagined that day of tragedy could be responsible for bringing to him the love of his life.

Twin misses his other half

SECOND IN A SERIES | Inseparable from his twin for 35 years, one man learns how to fill the hole in his life left after the death of his brother in the attack on the Pentagon.

Trying to find the new normal

FIRST IN A SERIES | A wife missing her husband. Children missing their father. They are the survivors of Lt. Cmdr. Otis Vincent Tolbert. And Sept. 11 has defined everything since.

Audio slideshow

Nine lives, ten years later

Meet nine people who were directly affected by the 911 attacks and hear where they are ten years later.

Special Projects

The Age of 9/11

Anita Tam. In 2001, she was a six-year-old second-grader at Sunnyside Elementary School; San Francisco, Calif.

How old were you when the planes struck the World Trade Center? And where were you? And where are you now -- 10 years older, 10 years after the attacks? The Post asked people of all ages to reflect on the 10-year anniversary.

What have we learned about religion post-9/11?

--------------topL-----------------top l: Sam Harris9-28-2006 Santa Monica, CA Writer Sam Harris, author of the book "The End of Faith:Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason." He writes about the link between religious faith and violence. His new book is called "Letter to a Christian Nation." Photographed at St Monica's Catholic Church , in Santa Monica , CA. photo by Jonathan Alcorn for The Washington Post Freelance Photo imported to Merlin on Fri Sep 29 01:03:02 2006--------------topC-----------------Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks during a news conference outlining his party's election manifesto pledge on law and order, in London, Tuesday March 10, 2005. Also on Thursday Blair urged political opponents to drop their opposition to a new anti-terrorism law, insisting the legislation was vital to protect national security. (AP Photo/Kieran Doherty, Pool)--------------topR-----------------top right: Joel OlsteenLakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen smiles during an interview in the arena that was home to the Houston Rockets basketball team Sept. 20, 2004, in Houston. The fast-growing megachurch that Osteen pastors is spending $78 million to turn the arena into its new spiritual home, with 16,000 seats, two waterfalls and plenty of television cameras for Lakewood Church's nationally broadcast services. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)--------------botR-----------------bottom right tutuFormer Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu smiles as he arrives for a special debate on Darfur at the European Parliament in Brussels, Tuesday June 7, 2007. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)--------------botL-----------------bottom left imam feisalImam Feisal Abdul Rauf, leaves the offices of the Bahraini newspaper Al-Wasat in Budaiya, Bahrain, on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010, where he met with local journalists. Rauf, the imam leading plans for an Islamic center near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York, is on a U.S.-funded outreach tour to Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to talk about religious tolerance in America. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)--------------botC-----------------bottom center The Dalai Lama greets the audience attending a Buddhist lecture, Saturday, April 19, 2008, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Dalai Lama's visit is a two-day lecture series called "Engaging Wisdom and Compassion" and hosted by the Tibetan studies organization Jewel Heart. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Elizabeth Tenety

What have we learned about religion in the past 10 years? What was the spiritual impact of 9/11?

Americans remember a tragedy in many ways

Americans remember a tragedy in many ways

David Nakamura and Colum Lynch

Americans around the world mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The resurgence of American partisanship

The resurgence of American partisanship

Karen Tumulty

Why the common ground of 9/11 turned out to be a mirage.

The lost world of 9/10: The Sept. 11 attacks and the end of American innocence

The lost world of 9/10: The Sept. 11 attacks and the end of American innocence

Joel Achenbach

The day before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was the last day of American innocence.

Twin messages of loss, hope

Twin messages of loss, hope

Sally Jenkins

The World Trade Center cross, first seen among the wreckage of bent steel two days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, holds a central yet controversial place at Ground Zero.

F-16 pilot was ready to give her life on Sept. 11

F-16 pilot was ready to give her life on Sept. 11

Steve Hendrix

A pilot reflects on one of the lesser-told tales of Sept. 11: how the first counterpunch the U.S. military prepared to throw at the attackers was effectively a suicide mission.

9/11 memories: Your words, your art (#wptweetup)

Katie Rogers

Readers submitted postcards answering the question: How do you feel when you think of 9/11 today?

Sept. 11 Memorials

New York Memorial: Two stark voids in a city of life

New York Memorial: Two stark voids in a city of life

Philip Kennicott

Michael Arad’s design for New York’s 9/11 Memorial works because it recalls ancient and embedded connections between water, memory and death.

9/11 memorial at Shanksville is minimalistic but evocative

9/11 memorial at Shanksville is minimalistic but evocative

Philip Kennicott

The half-finished memorial is a complete and satisfying work that should be left as is — so it retains its meditative aspect.

Opinion

The 9/11 ‘overreaction’?

The 9/11 ‘overreaction’?

Charles Krauthammer

The war on terror did not create today’s gloom.

Latest Headlines

Those persistent myths about the Sept. 11 attacks

Those persistent myths about the Sept. 11 attacks

Glenn Kessler

We provide a reader guide to the actual facts.

‘Top Secret America’: A look at the military’s Joint Special Operations Command

‘Top Secret America’: A look at the military’s Joint Special Operations Command

Dana Priest and William M. Arkin

An elite force of U.S. fighters has authority to go beyond what the CIA can do.

After 9/11, world solidarity short-lived

After 9/11, world solidarity short-lived

Keith B. Richburg

Both individuals and world leaders see an opportunity lost.

Sept. 11: 10 years later, an evolution in sharing

Sept. 11: 10 years later, an evolution in sharing

Emi Kolawole

Innovations | We don’t share our memories the way we once did, but a world that, perhaps, could not hear you on 9/11 can hear you now.

Kids and scary news

Kids and scary news

Tracy Grant

Every family gets to decide how much their children learn about evil. But, it would be a mistake not to talk about Sept. 11.

Video

Biden, Panetta at Pentagon memorial

Biden, Panetta at Pentagon memorial

Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta honored those who died during the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. (Sept. 11)
Air Force debated disposal of 9/11 remains (2:00)

Air Force debated disposal of 9/11 remains (2:00)

Newly released Pentagon documents show Air Force officers debated about burial at sea before concluding that 1,321 unidentifiable fragments of human remains from the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon should be treated as medical waste and incinerated.
Cameron visits 9/11 memorial (1:35)

Cameron visits 9/11 memorial (1:35)

British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the 9/11 memorial at the World Trade Center on Thursday. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined Cameron and his wife, Samantha, at the memorial on Thursday.
AA flight attendant's 9/11 rant (0:56)

AA flight attendant's 9/11 rant (0:56)

As American Airlines Flight #2332 was preparing for takeoff from DFW, a flight attendant began talking agitatedly about 9/ll on the plane's public address system. She was forcibly subdued and taken off plane.
9/11 mom: Landfill is no place for remains (1:21)

9/11 mom: Landfill is no place for remains (1:21)

Relatives of 9/11 victims are outraged by the admissions in a new report that indicates remains of some victims of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, were incinerated and dumped in a landfill. (Feb. 29)
Ron Paul: 9/11 prompted 'glee' in Bush administration

Ron Paul: 9/11 prompted 'glee' in Bush administration

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said Thursday evening that Bush administration officials were gleeful after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks because it gave them a pretext to invade Iraq. (Dec. 9)
Afghan war anniversary marked by rocket fire

Afghan war anniversary marked by rocket fire

On the morning of the tenth anniversary of the NATO invasion of Afghanistan, soldiers in Paktika province, which borders Pakistan, were woken by rocket fire. (Oct. 7)
Islamic center developer: We made 'mistakes'

Islamic center developer: We made 'mistakes'

The developer of an Islamic cultural center that opened Wednesday near the site of the terrorist attacks that leveled the World Trade Center says the biggest error on the project was not involving the families of 9/11 victims from the start. (Sept. 21)
The age of 9/11: William Faber, 9

The age of 9/11: William Faber, 9

William Faber was born on Sept. 11th, 2001. His family tells him he saved his grandfather's life by being born that day.
The age of 9/11: Introduction

The age of 9/11: Introduction

How old were you when the planes struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? And where were you? And where are you now -- ten years older, ten years after the attacks? These and similar questions are ones are questions The Post has explored around the ten-year anniversary of September 11th. The powerful reflections are presented as a multimedia report broken down by age -- age being one of the important facets forming the individualized prisms through which we all view 9/11 and its effects on our lives.
The age of 9/11: Abraham Scott, 59

The age of 9/11: Abraham Scott, 59

Abraham Scott, 59, describes his life in 2001 as being at its peak. He and his wife, Janice Scott, both had successful careers and were almost finished raising their two daughters, Crystal and Angel. The weekend before 9/11, Abraham remembers his wife filing important paperwork and telling her oldest daughter to take care of the family if anything were to happen to her.  The following Tuesday, Janice was killed after she went to work in the Pentagon. Even though he travels extensively, Abraham doesn’t fly anymore. He now runs a scholarship fund for high school students that he and his family created in his wife’s memory.
The age of 9/11: Geraldine Davie

The age of 9/11: Geraldine Davie

Geraldine Davie, recalls what it was like to lose a child in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11th, 2001. Her daughter, Amy O'Doherty, was 23 when she was killed in World Trade Center.
Al-Qaeda posts 9/11 video

Al-Qaeda posts 9/11 video

A private intelligence monitoring service says al-Qaeda is marking the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with an hour-long video, released on Jihadist websites. (Sept. 13)
Congress sings National Anthem

Congress sings National Anthem

To mark the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, members of Congress stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and sang the National Anthem. (Sept. 12)
NYC 9/11 memorial opens to public

NYC 9/11 memorial opens to public

The plot of land known for a decade as "ground zero" opened to the public Monday as a memorial for the first time since that terrible morning in 2001. (Sept. 12)
FBI's secret weapon speaks out on al-Qaeda

FBI's secret weapon speaks out on al-Qaeda

FBI Special Agent Ali Soufan, a vital asset in America's fight against al Qaeda, spoke out about his tactics for the first time in a "60 Minutes" interview.

Archives: The attacks and the aftermath

Photo galleries

Photo galleries

The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks are chronicled in this series of archival photo galleries.

9/11 through newspaper front pages

9/11 through newspaper front pages

Iconic images from 9/11 and the aftermath

Iconic images from 9/11 and the aftermath

A look back at the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

An altered capital

An altered capital

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Washington has seen both subtle and significant changes to its landscape.

Graphics

Strike against the Pentagon

Hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon less than an hour after the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Flight paths

The routes of the two planes used to topple the World Trade Center buildings

Reduced to rubble

Two hijacked Boeing 767s crashed into the World Trade Center buildings in New York killing thousands of people.

The plot: A web of connections

The Sept. 11 terror attacks were a culmination of an intricate choreography by conspirators who came to America and trained for specific missions.

9/11 events in D.C. area

Documentaries, music, prayers and exhibits among events paying tribute to anniversary of Sept. 11.