Macon Reporter

State Sen. Erica Harriss recognized the importance of the anniversary of September 11, saying, "We honor the lives lost, the heroes who bravely responded, and the resilience of our country in the face of adversity," in a Sept. 11 Facebook post.

"On this day, we remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001, when our nation was forever changed by acts of terror," said Harriss, State Senator, according to Facebook. "We honor the lives lost, the heroes who bravely responded, and the resilience of our country in the face of adversity."

September 11, 2001, will be remembered as the day that 19 Al Qaeda militants hijacked four airplanes bound for California for suicide attacks against the United States. These attacks targeted the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The plane that crashed in Pennsylvania was hijacked in Newark, New Jersey, and was originally headed to California. According to History.com, these attacks killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

Screenshot of Sen. Erica Harriss' Sept. 11 Facebook post | Senator Erica Harriss' Facebook page

According to the Miller Center at the University of Virginia (UVA), the events of September 11 began at 5:45 a.m., when Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al-Omari passed through security at Maine’s Portland International Jetport to fly to Boston Logan International Airport to board American Airlines Flight 11. This flight took off at 7:59 a.m. with 76 passengers, 11 crew members, and five hijackers on board. At 8:19 a.m., flight attendant Betty Ann Ong alerted ground personnel that she couldn’t contact the cockpit and that the flight was being hijacked. At 8:24 a.m., Mohamed Atta alerted ground control in Boston to the situation. Twenty-two minutes later, Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Flight 175 took off from Boston at 8:15 a.m., with 51 passengers, nine crew members, and five hijackers on board. According to UVA's Miller Center, it crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m.

American Airlines Flight 77 left Dulles Airport at 8:20 a.m., with 53 passengers, six crew members, and five hijackers on board. The flight crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., resulting in the deaths of all passengers on board as well as 125 civilian and military personnel.

United Flight 93 took off from Newark at 8:42 a.m., with 33 passengers, seven crew members, and four hijackers on board. At 9:28 a.m., according to reports from various sources including History.com and UVA's Miller Center, hijackers attacked Flight 93; it crashed into an empty field in Shanksville at approximately10:02 a.m.

Harriss has served Illinois' state’s Senate District since January this year. She is also noted for her work as a small business owner with experience in marketing and communications; she volunteers with local charity organizations and leads youth groups at Metro Community Church. Additionally, she served as a member of Madison County Board for six years representing its county board’s District.