Although more than 4,700 miles from the three mainland sites attacked by terrorists who hijacked four jetliners, Hawaii lost six members of its ohana on Sept. 11, 2001.
The first impact occurred at 2:46 a.m. Hawaii time that fateful Tuesday. By 4:28 a.m. the Twin Towers had collapsed; a section of the Pentagon military headquarters in Washington, D.C., was in flames; and United Airlines Flight 93 had crashed in a field in rural Shanksville, Pa., brought down by passengers who fought back against the hijackers.
Among those who perished were six people with strong Hawaii ties: Christine Snyder, 32, of Kailua, and Georgine Corrigan, 55, of Hawaii Kai, who were both aboard United Flight 93, and former Hawaii residents Patricia Colodner, 39, Heather Ho, 32, Maile Hale, 26, and Rich Y.C. Lee, 34, who all died in the World Trade Center attacks.
In a time before smartphones and social media, many isle residents first learned of the carnage upon waking up and tuning in to the morning news. By then, all aircraft had been ordered grounded nationwide, and airports were shut down.
>> RELATED: 6 with Hawaii ties died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks
Armed F-15 fighter jets from Hickam Air Force Base were scrambled to escort more than a dozen airline flights from Asia that had been diverted. Oahu’s Civil Defense Command was activated, and the Navy ordered Hawaii-based sailors to report to their ships and submarines, as Coast Guard vessels patrolled Honolulu Harbor.
The Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building and U.S. courthouse, Ala Moana Center and other key government and civilian sites closed for the day while officials worked to determine any impending threats.
At the Blood Bank of Hawaii, donors spilled out of the waiting room and the parking lot overflowed with vehicles as residents responded to calls to help meet urgent medical needs in New York, and donations flowed into the American Red Cross. Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, now a U.S. senator, was put in charge of coordinating efforts to move blood samples for testing from Hawaii to the mainland.
Churches across the islands opened their doors to offer comfort and refuge from the day’s heart-wrenching tragedies and organized special services and candlelight vigils.
Sporting events across the country were postponed, including the University of Hawaii’s football game at Nevada, scheduled for four days later, because the Warriors couldn’t get to Reno in time due to air travel disruptions.
Most schools in Hawaii remained open on Sept. 11, 2001, although a number of students reportedly stayed home. Classroom televisions were turned on throughout the day so students could witness the momentous events.
“This is history,” Maemae Elementary School teacher Elaine Koanui told her sixth grade class. “This is actual history. This is what’s going to be in your textbooks in the future, and you’re living during this time.”
Punahou School eighth grader Chloe Dooley, 12, told a reporter that a lot of students were wondering “whether this means there’s going to be a World War III. Some are afraid someone’s going to bomb Hawaii. We talked about it all day in most of our classes.”
Gov. Ben Cayetano postponed a planned trip to China and put the National Guard on alert to assist police departments, airport security and other government security agencies.
“The people of Hawaii are deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy,” he said. “The enormous anguish being experienced by the tens of thousands of families affected, and our entire nation, is beyond words.”
Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris announced a city interfaith service to be held Sept. 13 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. “This will be a candlelight memorial service of hope, healing and prayers for our country, to regain our spiritual strength,” he said.
A crowd of 1,500 attended the service. One of the speakers was Hakim Ouansafi of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, who condemned the terrorist attacks as a violation of Islamic beliefs. He called for “the hatred … to be replaced with love, compassion and mercy.”
The following day, Hawaii joined the nation in observing a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance with a short ceremony at the state Capitol Rotunda at noon, when churches across the state rang their bells in solemn tribute.
Like many others of his generation, the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii compared the shock and losses from the 9/11 attacks with the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Inouye, a decorated World War II veteran, recalled that in the wake of Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans became the target of hate and harassment. He urged Americans not to repeat that injustice by making Arabs and Muslims the scapegoats for 9/11.
In 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, whose birthday fell on that date, spoke of “the spirit of unity and brotherhood seen at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania, and in communities across our country.”
“As we mark this solemn anniversary, let us remember that when we are united there is no challenge we can’t conquer, and no problem we can’t solve,” Akaka wrote in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Also on the 10th anniversary, Inouye again returned to his memories of Pearl Harbor. Upon hearing the radio announcement of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack, “I knew at that moment that my country and my life would never be the same,” he wrote in the newspaper. “Six decades later, that moment came again when I watched passenger jets crash into the side of the World Trade Center.”
Inouye also spoke of the nation’s sacrifice in Afghanistan as U.S. military forces waged war against al-Qaida. Noting that American special forces had killed 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden just four months earlier, on May 2, 2011, Inouye remarked the war “is winding down.”
But not for another 10 years, as it turned out. The U.S. completed its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan only last month after 20 years of conflict and 2,300 American military deaths.
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Sept. 11 Day of Remembrance
Due to COVID-19, no formal state observance of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 is planned, although flags are flying at half-staff.
>> A virtual interfaith community prayer rally will be held at 10 a.m. today. Winston Lum, associate pastor of Hawaiian Pentecostal Full Gospel Assembly, will be the opening speaker for the event, which is being hosted by state Sen. Bennette Misalucha. To view the event via Zoom, register at bit.ly/3E652n5.
>> The Knights of Columbus Hawaii State Council is sponsoring a Family Prayer Morning Prayer for Peace at 10 a.m. today at St. Michael Parish in Waialua. Check the church website to make reservations or to watch livestreaming of the service.
