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December 2007                                                                                              Volume 13 - Number 3

Perspectives...

Personal Perspective on September 11
By Tom Crane

    For about 20 years, my father worked around the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) as a marketing contractor for a credit card company. Each day after work he came home and uploaded his completed work into a small computer and faxed it to the corporate office. One clear, calm morning, September 11, 2001, he was driving a familiar route in northwest New Jersey near Newark. As he drove on the highway and up a hill, he could see the New York skyline in the distance. He drove down the hill and lost sight of the skyline for a couple of minutes. When he drove up the hill he could see the skyline full of smoke. He knew something devastating had occurred, and so did others. Cars were crossing over the median and doing U-turns away from the city. This day changed the way American’s perceived the threat of terrorism.
    The fallen World Trade Center towers affected my father’s job because data from his work was stored in a corporate office in the towers. For the first time, the company’s contract was not renewed and he was laid off.
    The attacks dented the economy and brought fear to American’s.  Prior to 9/11, terrorism was not on the forefront of American life. Overall, I believe the perception of terrorism is largely isolated to New York and Washington, D.C., because those are the common obvious targets and they have already been hit. I believe people who live in these areas think it is inevitable that another attack occurs. Also, people who live in big cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta, are also more aware of the risk of terrorism.
    Three years after the 9/11 attacks, I became an intern in the Terrorism and Violent Crime Division with the Department of Justice, Interpol.  This experience raised my awareness of the threats around the world. Personally, I have a heightened perception of terrorism because I have read many cases about terrorist acts and the groups who commit them. I am certain that a large terrorist act or plot in America will occur within 10-15 years.