CQ CLASSIC
It’s hard to believe, but it has been 20 years since the terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001. Amid the tragedy, amateur radio was a shining beacon of “can do” response, as hams in and around New York City, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania stepped up to fill major gaps in emergency communications. As this issue is our annual Emergency Communications Special, we thought it would be appropriate to reprise our coverage of the amateur radio response in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. Our November 2001 issue carried two articles on the subject, W2VU’s first-person “Zero Bias” editorial and WA3PZO’s “Public Service” column. Never forget …
Zero Bias
An Editorial
“Too Few Volunteers, Too Much Emergency”
As I begin this month’s editorial, it is Tuesday, September 11 th, another “day which will live in infamy” in American history. From outside my house in New Jersey, I can see the smoke rising from what used to be the World Trade Center. Behind me, my 2-meter radio is on, tuned to the main New York City emergency net. All day, I’ve been listening to and watching the news of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, plus the plane crash outside Pittsburgh. I’ve seen the videotapes dozens of times. And I still can’t believe it really happened.
But although I am shocked, angered and saddened by the day’s events, my faith in human nature and in the unifying power of amateur
