911! The Day We Remember

Some people are surprised that five years have gone by. For others, it all seems like a long time ago.
On the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, America is at war, suicide bombers appear in video games, Osama bin Laden is still at large, and bottles of shampoo have replaced box cutters as potential weapons of mass destruction.
Americans feel vulnerable, their complacency erased by the realization that a lot of people don't like us.
Not unlike Pearl Harbor more than six decades ago, Sept. 11 has become a frame of reference, almost impossible to avoid. Even today, a glimpse of the New York skyline in a film or photograph can prompt a search for the twin towers. It's chilling when they're there -- and also when they're not.
Sept. 11 changed people's lives, and its impact continues to be felt. A San Francisco firefighter acquired a tattoo to commemorate the disaster. A San Jose flight attendant thinks about it every time she flies. A young Muslim woman, born and raised in Los Angeles, has embraced her religion and now wears a head scarf. A Fremont emergency responder who extracted body parts from ground zero no longer rides BART -- too risky, he says.
They are among nine Bay Area residents whose worlds have been reshaped by what happened five years ago.

God Bless America!
God Bless All of Us People!
We Love You, Heroes!

Amen!