This year marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. September 11, 2001 when four commercial passenger airplanes were hijacked by terrorists linked to the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda. Two of the planes struck the World Trade Center in New York City causing the twin towers to collapse and a third plane hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The passengers and crew of the fourth plane fought the hijackers, and the plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Close to 3,000 people were killed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Several different figures have been published, but according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum 2,977 people were killed.
Do you remember where you were when 9/11 happened?
I remember where I was on September 11, 2001, when I heard that the World Trade Center twin towers in New York had collapsed after being struck by two hijacked planes.
I was actually in Taiwan and all alone in my parent’s apartment in Kaohsiung. I had relocated to Taiwan from New York, just a few months before 9/11. The way I found out about the whole thing was a phone call from my Mom telling me what had happened. I remember being in disbelief and immediately turning on the TV and seeing CNN reporting on it.
25 years have passed since that tragic day.
What happens when there’s a generation of Americans who have no recollection of 9/11? That’s something that my guest on this episode, David has thought about. David found a personal connection to 9/11 through the personal stories of the Taiwanese who died on 9/11. His hope is that by sharing the stories of the Taiwanese who lost their lives on 9/11, younger Taiwanese Americans can find a connection to 9/11.
Related Links:
September 11 Attacks: Facts, Background & Impact : https://www.history.com/articles/9-11-attacks
Ma Ying-jeou: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Ying-jeou
Wreaths Across America: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/
Arlington National Cemetery: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/#/
Mark Bingham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Bingham
Tzu Chi Foundation: https://global.tzuchi.org/
Vietnam Memorial: https://www.nps.gov/vive/index.htm
Colors Restaurant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_(restaurant)
O.C.A.C. (The Overseas Community Affairs Council): https://www.ocac.gov.tw/OCAC/Eng/
First Commercial Bank: https://www.firstbank.com.tw/
Windows on the World: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_on_the_World
Haiti earthquake (2010): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Haiti_earthquake
ITASA (Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association): https://itasa.org/
Cantor Fitzgerald: https://www.cantor.com/
Church in Franklin: https://www.churchinfranklin.org/
TAC-EC (Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast): https://tacec.org/#/
Taiwanese American Citizens League: https://tacl.org/
Taiwanese American Professionals: https://tacl.org/tap1/
Keep Taiwan Free: https://keeptaiwanfree.org/
Betty Ong: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Ong
Paul Revere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Revere
The Midnight Ride: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Revere%27s_midnight_ride
Normandy Invasion: https://www.britannica.com/event/Normandy-Invasion
The Long Road Home by Martha Raddatz: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/298493/the-long-road-home-by-martha-raddatz/
The Long Road Home (National Geographic miniseries): https://www.natgeotv.com/uk/shows/natgeo/the-long-road-home
Tomb Sweeping Day: https://taiwantravelblog.com/taiwan-tomb-sweeping-day-qingming-festival/
https://communitycenter.org.tw/what-is-tomb-sweeping-day-in-taiwan/
Iraq War: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War
Sergeant Eddie Chen: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-sgt-yihjyh-l-chen/257159
https://historica.fandom.com/wiki/Eddie_Chen
https://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oif/profiles/chenyihjyhl.ht
Kenny Leu: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3777101/
TaiwaneseAmerican.org: https://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/
The Silk Road: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road
Waishengren: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waishengren
National Treasure (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368891/
Harry Potter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter
JFK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy
Ellis Island: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island
Home Alone (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Alone
Airfone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfone
Communication during the September 11 attacks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_during_the_September_11_attacks
Flight 93 National Memorial: https://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm
Voices Center of Resilience aka Voices of September 11th Living Memorial Project: https://voicescenter.org/living-memorial
HoChie Tsai about TaiwaneseAmerican.org Ep 29: https://talkingtaiwan.com/tt025-ho-chie-tsai/
Richard Chen: The History of Social Injustice and Discrimination Toward Asian Americans Ep 130
Richard Chen: The History of Social Injustice and Discrimination Toward Asian Americans Ep 130: https://talkingtaiwan.com/richard-chen-the-history-of-social-injustice-and-discrimination-toward-asian-americans-ep-130/
Ed Lin: Ghost Month in Taiwan Ep 155: https://talkingtaiwan.com/ed-lin-ghost-month-in-taiwan-ep-155/
Michelle Kuo and Albert Wu: On a Broad and Ample Road and the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church Shooting Ep 209: https://talkingtaiwan.com/michelle-kuo-and-albert-wu-on-a-broad-and-ample-road-and-the-taiwanese-presbyterian-church-shooting-ep-209/
Talking Taiwan’s 2025 Inaugural Fundraising Gala! Ep 332: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwans-2025-inaugural-fundraising-gala-ep-332/
Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo: Taiwan Democracy Fighter Talks About Events Leading Up to the Kaohsiung Incident (Classic) Ep 336: https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-linda-gail-arrigo-taiwan-democracy-fighter-talks-about-events-leading-up-to-the-kaohsiung-incident-classic-ep-336/
Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo: The Kaohsiung Incident – The Watershed Moment That Led to Taiwan’s Democratization Part 2 Ep 289: https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-linda-gail-arrigo-the-kaohsiung-incident-the-watershed-moment-that-led-to-taiwans-democratization-part-2-ep-289/
An Oral History of TAC-EC by Three Past Organizers: Talking with Terry Tsao, Su-Mei Kao, and Powen Wang Ep 298: https://talkingtaiwan.com/an-oral-history-of-tacec-by-three-past-organizers-talking-with-terry-tsao-sue-mei-kao-and-powen-wang-ep-298/