9/11: One Day In America

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

In honor of the 20^th Anniversary of the September 11^th terrorist attacks, National Geographic along with 72 Films and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum created a six-part series to tell the story of that fateful day through the eyes of those who witnessed the devastation first-hand. In 9/11: One Day In America, viewers are brought into the events of September 11^th through video footage and accounts from those who survived to tell their stories. AFI Film Docs Festival presented the first three episodes of the series to their viewers and through these episodes this much is clear: despite how divided the country may feel, we can still come together as Americans when it matters most.

September 11, 2001 started off as any normal day at the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. Meetings scheduled, employees heading into work for their shift, people with scheduled visits to the WTC. For 1^st Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer, he received a call that morning to inspect a gas leak and was filmed while doing so—not knowing that this would provide us with footage of the first plane hitting the WTC’s North Tower. And as the morning wore on, only more chaos was set to ensue as then the South Tower was hit, followed by the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 in a field in Pennsylvania. On camera every creak of steel and dark plume of smoke from the towers portrayed the tense atmosphere. New Yorkers looking on in horror at the scene in front of them. And just like that, a normal day became one of the most devastating moments in American history.

The footage is only half the story, with first-hand accounts of the day coming from all different perspectives. 1^st Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer recalled that day as the last time he saw his brother Kevin, who was also a firefighter. When the second plane hit then-Fire Captain Jay Jonas gathered his crew for a pep talk while they shook each other’s hands in case they didn’t make it out. Jonas was in the North Tower stairwell when it collapsed. Kathy Comerford worked on the 70^th floor of the South Tower and was knocked out of her shoes by the impact of the plane crashing into the building. Comerford shared that she was determined to get out because she was not going to orphan her kids. Many recalled running from the billowing gray dust cloud that encapsulated everything once the South Tower collapsed. And Alice Hoagland remembered the last phone call from her son Mark Bingham, who would later be considered a hero for helping to take down the hijackers on Flight 93. And though the outcome was devastating, the stories of those who experienced it will live on.

Directed by Daniel Bogado, 9/11: One Day In America puts the viewer in the front seat of the tragic events. For those who remember, you will feel yourself transported back to that day as though it were yesterday. For me, I was brought back to the memory of watching the smoke roll down the Hudson River from my college campus in Tarrytown, NY—the smell of that smoke lingering in the air even from forty minutes away. Bogado weaves each individual story together to give viewers a comprehensive timeline of events, not missing a single angle and making sure the episodes themselves bring focus where needed. The video footage may be tear-inducing and at times gruesome, but it’s also honest and utilized in the most respectful way—to honor everyone that gave of themselves that day, whether it be a helping hand or their actual life. The audio clips and voicemails from those on flights and in buildings will yank at your heart, knowing that these individuals would never see their loved ones again. And in the sadness there was still hope, a sense that everyone needed to band together and do whatever it took to help those around them—even if it may have cost them their own life.

Those of us who remember September 11^th will never forget the events, likening it to the way we would ask our parents and grandparents where they were when John F. Kennedy was shot or when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. That memory stays a part of who we are, a reminder that we are not infallible or bulletproof. But when the moment calls—we truly can come together as a nation.

9/11: One Day In America premieres August 29^th on National Geographic.