Good morning, Washington. Ten years ago today, the unfathomable happened. Iconic towers crumbled to dust, and the structure of a great military institution suffered partial collapse. Nearly 3,000 people died in merciless terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. If not for the remarkable bravery of 40 heroes, it’s presumed many more would have perished in Washington.
In an exercise in remembrance in the week leading up to today’s tenth anniversary of the attacks, we unfolded personal stories of enormous loss and difficult change. Narratives of storybook-like courage and seemingly implausible resilience dawned as we mark a decade of humble lessons on how vulnerable we are, and how tenacious we can be.
While our collective conscious grieves today through planned programming, individuals will mark the solemn occasion in their own idiosyncratic ways. Ten years ago my father, predicting a sort of persecution I couldn’t yet grasp, asked me to change my name. Today I celebrate that I chose not to, am thankful that I still haven’t experienced the intolerance he expected, and grieve for all of us that the question ever had to be asked.
>> For the District’s 9/11 tribute events today, check out the weekend picks, and don’t forget the road closings for the Nation’s Triathlon.
>> Z-Burger in Tenleytown is giving away free meals to police, fire and rescue workers today. First responders will get burgers, fries and a drink when they wear their uniforms inside the restaurant.
>> Cyndi Lauper fumbled the lyrics to the national anthem at the U.S. Open during a remembrance of 9/11.
>> On Saturday, a detection dog alerted handlers to boxes on a cargo pallet that prompted an evacuation of several gates at Dulles International Airport and lasted four hours. Virginia State Police bomb technicians X-rayed the cargo pallet and determined there was nothing harmful inside.
>> This summer, five Maryland inmates from the Western Correctional Institution fixed up a neglected playground in Allegany County, part of the state’s efforts to involve prisoners in public works projects.
>> One person was found dead Saturday after a house fire in the Brightwood Park section of Norhwest D.C. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
>> Construction worker Edgar Tobar, 40, of Woodbridge, was killed by an asphalt roller Saturday in Fairfax County. Another employee at the construction site lost control of the roller, which ran over Tobar. No criminal charges will be filed. Occupational Health and Safety Administration will investigate the incident.
