Overview to Interview:
This interview with Anthony Jackson, conducted in February 2025, offers a firsthand account of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the effects they had on individuals, institutions, and society. Born in 1956 and working as a bonds salesman in New York City at the time, Anthony provides a personal narrative of the day that changed national security, public consciousness, and the American sense of safety. Anthony talks about standing in his office just blocks away from the World Trade Center when the first plane struck. He describes the confusion that initially spread before the gravity of the event became clear.
The interview focuses on key themes the emotional and psychological toll of witnessing such devastation, the societal and governmental changes that followed, and the long term impact on those who lived and worked in Lower Manhattan. Anthony discusses how security procedures changed overnight Suddenly, going into buildings felt like going through airport checkpoints and how everyday life grew increasingly defined by fear, vigilance, and uncertainty.
Biography
Anthony Jackson discusses his first hand account of September 11, 2011 in this interview. He was born on June 7th, 1956, went to St. Peters College, and is a bonds salesman. He grew up with two sisters and two brothers. I called my father on February 27th and I asked him if I could interview him on his experience through 9/11 and what it looked like in the world during that time. He agreed to doing the interview. The main themes I would like him to share are his own experience, how this incident changed the world, and how this impacted the people around him and how things functioned afterwards.
Research
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks shook international politics, national security policy, and the lives of people. On that morning, four planes were hijacked by 19 al Qaeda terrorists, two of which crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon, and one, United Airlines Flight 93, into a Pennsylvania field after passengers had struggled to retake the plane. Approximately 3,000 were murdered, and it was the most fatal attack on Americans. It brought about an initial reaction of national unity but witnessed increased security, military action, and social reform in the years after the incident.
one of the most enduring impacts of 9/11 was when President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act into law on October 26, 2001. The act was for the power of government spying with more wiretapping, data collection, and information sharing between agencies. While it was done in the interest of national security as its defenders argued, it proved to be a violation of civil rights, particularly of the Muslim and Arab American people. The bill also established the groundwork for the formation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2002 through the amalgamation of domestic security programs, a move aimed at avoiding another attack (Electronic Privacy Information Center, “The USA PATRIOT Act: An Overview,” 2021). Beyond the domestic policy, the global significance of 9/11 was extremely terrible as it began the U.S. initiated War against Terror. The initial significant military operation was to attack Afghanistan in October 2001 to destroy al Qaeda and the Taliban government. The Afghan war was the longest US war, which lasted until 2021 when the US troops withdrew. America also invaded Iraq in 2003 under the information that Saddam Hussein’s government possessed weapons of mass destruction, but no weapons of mass destruction were found. This war began infinitely deeper changes in global events, and provoked anti American feelings in the region (Peer-reviewed: Byman, Daniel. “The United States and the Middle East After 9/11: A Decade of War.” Vol. 126, no. 3, 2011, pages, “Political Science Quarterly” 365-400. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23056954).
The social and cultural heritage of 9/11 continues to taint American life. Islamophobia went through the roof after the attacks, and hate crimes against Muslims increased manifold in America. The attack also had policy implications on immigration, including more strict security processes and the establishment of programs like the National Security Entry Exit Registration System (NSEERS) targeting nationals of nations which were predominantly Muslim. Besides, the 9/11 attacks transformed air travel, for instance, the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and security checks such as full body scan machines, liquid limitations, and the removal of shoes. The attacks created emotional wounds that have lingered, with most of the survivors and rescue personnel experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder and long-term health effects of surviving the toxic debris (Pew Research Center, “How 9/11 Changed the U.S.,” 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/02 /how-americans-see-9-11-two-decades-later/). The longterm impact of 9/11 shows how this day changed United States policies, security policies, and interpersonally relations and set the course of history for generations to come.
https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/sept-11-attack.html
https://www.georgewbushlibrary.gov/research/topic-guides/september-11-2001-terrorist-attacks
Interview and technology process
I Interviewed my father in person and I used a iPhone to record both of us talking. We conducted this interview at our house.
Transcription
Speaker 1 0:00
All right, today is March 10, 2025 I’m interviewing my father, Anthony Jackson, about his experiences about 911 Do I have your consent to record you and use this audio for an interview? Yes, you do some main themes I’d like to for you to share today are your own experiences, how this incident changed the world, and how this impacted people around you, and how things functioned afterwards in your life. All right, so first question we’re gonna ask you, what was your initial reaction when you found out that the Twin Towers were hit, and what did you do at
Speaker 2 0:38
first, we didn’t know it was airplanes that hit the Twin Towers. When the first tower was hit, I was working in the office building close to the Twin Towers, and yeah, everyone was just shocked, and we didn’t know what to do. We all panicked. Firefighters started flooding in cops started flooding in the streets, so we just evacuated the building as quick as possible. Everyone was screaming, crying, yelling on the phone with their loved ones and all that. It was just sad to see all that.
Speaker 1 1:11
Did this impact you personally at all?
Speaker 2 1:15
I had a few friends working in the Twin Towers, both of them and so, yeah, they passed away. Unfortunately. Yeah, it’s just really, that’s, that’s sad. It was just sad, sad times. Yeah, it was hectic. It was bad.
Speaker 1 1:36
Yeah, well, let’s move on to another question. So I’ve read some articles that have claimed that there were discrimination towards Middle Eastern people, or people who look like they were from the Middle East. Is this true? And if this is true, how were they treated? And how could you like relate to that?
Speaker 2 1:53
So me, personally, I don’t think like I don’t think that’s true, but I know people were personally affected by this, by this terrorist attack. They thought every Muslim was bad, really, everyone from the Middle East, yeah. I mean, especially, there’s a lot of them in New York City at the time, and they just Yeah, they were being, uh, discriminated against, yeah, that’s not that’s not right. Yeah, it wasn’t right. Yeah, I never thought they had anything to do with it, because they moved to America to have a better life.
Speaker 1 2:30
All right. Next question, what were, um, after the events of the planes hitting the towers and the towers going down, what were some security changes that went into effect because of this incident, such as, like airports or like Homeland Security, like, what changed from that, and how did that impact your life?
Speaker 2 2:52
Um, some security changes in some buildings in New York City were, uh, obviously metal detectors in each entrance, yeah, to make sure. And then, obviously, in airports, you know, TSA, all that bag checking.
Speaker 1 3:10
What was the change like? How did that go into effect? Like, did it go right away, or did it take time? Did people like to people? What was the people’s like reaction towards it? Did they like it. Did they think it was better?
Speaker 2 3:22
I mean, people thought it was better. Obviously. People thought it was annoying at first, because now it takes a while to actually get on the plane and stuff so but yeah, I think it’s better for everyone’s safety, obviously. Now looking back. Now looking back, because obviously we don’t want to have another terrorist attack happen. We have to check everyone who gets on the plane gets off the plane.
Speaker 1 3:49
Another one looking back, what did you think we can learn from what happened on 911?
Speaker 2 3:59
Some things we could learn is never take anything for granted. Obviously, life can. Life can change in a second. And yeah, just love everyone the equal amounts and yeah. I mean, you said you personally lost two people. So yeah. I mean, you definitely can, yeah, I never got to, never got to say goodbye to those people. Yeah, it was hard. It was hard, especially at their funerals. It was hard times, and because I went to college with those, those people, so I spent a lot of time with them, yeah. Just never take anything for granted, because life can change in moments.
Speaker 1 4:43
So if 911 hadn’t happened, how do you think the world might have been different today?
Speaker 2 4:48
Um, I think we would still be doing like, all the security stuff, even if it didn’t happen. Like, so you think Luca would have innovated? Yeah, new too. Not as quickly as we did right after it happened in 2001 but, yeah, I feel we would have definitely developed that, not as quickly as we did, just because obviously what happened, but the security would have eventually gone out upgraded, yeah, where it is now.
Speaker 1 5:17
Definitely, I agree I mean, we’re innovating in everything. Definitely, that would have been another question. Um, what is one thing that happened during this time that you think deserves to be talked about more, or one thing that people usually don’t talk about because it is either too upsetting or people forgot about?
Speaker 2 5:46
I just think, like, obviously, this is just been talked about a lot. Obviously, the first responders being there as quickly as possible, yeah, sacrificing their lives for people they for people they don’t even know, and then sacrificing their lives. Obviously, a lot of firefighters passed away that day. A lot of policemen passed away that day. So them sacrificing each other, all that.
Speaker 1 6:11
yeah, I mean, it takes a lot of guns because, I mean, obviously the people who were in the buildings died. They deserved a lot of attention to people were trying to save you, but people, also, the officers and firefighters who were just going into the direct fire, risking their lives, they deserve a lot of credit too. I agree with that. That’s a good one. That was a good one. Another question, um, so how did you I knew you said you lost two people. How does your community come together afterwards? And what was that? What is, what was that like when you had the two people? What did you guys do?
Speaker 2 6:48
in general, in America, we just, we got a lot stronger and more unified as a country after this attack. And especially like the New Jersey community and New York community, definitely got much closer and more respecting of each other, because again, like anything could happen at any moment in life.
Speaker 1 7:10
Well, how did it directly impact you?
Speaker 2 7:16
Yeah, I mean, well, since I lost two of my two my good friends really affected me and my family and their families. And, yeah, that’s really it all right.
Speaker 1 7:34
Have you ever thought about the day and wondered how and why did this happen?
Speaker 2 7:41
Yeah, I think about it every day the people I lost, and, like, why it would happen. You know, it’s just terrible thing that happened to a bunch of people who passed away. Like, happy the war is over with them.
Speaker 1 8:00
Yeah, nobody should ever have to go through that, And what, what was that like when you had to go home and tell your family? Like, how did that impact your family?
Speaker 2 8:07
Well, I think they knew my family. I think my family knew because obviously it was broadcasted all over television.
Speaker 1 8:15
Were they, like, calling you 24/7, making sure you were okay, yeah. And like, how did you guys communicate?
Speaker 2 8:20
Yeah, my wife was calling me a lot. like we’re on the phone for a while during it. I mean, obviously it was panic everywhere. Couldn’t really hear a lot because of all the noise.
Speaker 1 8:44
I’m sure. Like, what was that like when you first got home, like you said they were, they called you a lot.
Speaker 2 8:50
Yes I was, I was just in tears after I found out my my two close friends have passed away, and my wife was in tears too.
Speaker 1 9:00
Yeah, it was, it was just not good, yeah. I mean, I really, yeah, that really sums up a lot. I really appreciate you, like giving me all these answers in full description, and really means a lot. I could see now that this was really a bad thing that happened and that it really wasn’t good. But I appreciate you, and I thank you for your time and asking me, asking me, letting me ask you all these questions, of course, of course. Luca, yeah, all right. Well, thank you. No, that’s it Okay. Thank you. Love you. Bye. You.
