Slogans and terms derived from the September 11, 2001 attack
Encyclopedia
The September 11, 2001 attacks
on the United States spawned a number of catchphrases, terms, and slogans, many of which continue to be used more than a decade after the event.
coverage of the September 11th terrorist attack, its after effects, and the U.S.
government response. The slogans for American media were typically positioned on the bottom third of television broadcasts, or as banners across the top of newspaper pages. Designs typically incorporated a patriotic
red, white, and blue motif, along with an explicit graphic of the American flag. Examples include:
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the United States spawned a number of catchphrases, terms, and slogans, many of which continue to be used more than a decade after the event.
Various terms and catchphrases
- Nine-eleven (or 9/11) in the US date notation for September 11. The practice of referring to ominous dates through this shorthand has continued, for example, with 7/7 for the 2005 London bombings.
- "Let's rollLet's roll"Let's roll" is a catchphrase that has been used extensively as a term to move and start an activity, attack, mission or project. After the September 11 attacks, the phrase, especially in the United States, has come to symbolize heroism, self sacrifice and initiative in a tough situation...
" – reported to have been uttered by Flight 93United Airlines Flight 93United Airlines Flight 93 was United Airlines' scheduled morning transcontinental flight across the United States from Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco International Airport in California. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the Boeing 757–222 aircraft operating the...
passenger Todd BeamerTodd BeamerLisa Beamer was born on april 10, 1969 in Albany, New york.Lisa Beamer is the widow of Todd Beamer, a victim of the United Flight 93 crash as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
shortly before he and fellow passengers apparently rushed the cockpit. - FPCON DeltaForce Protection ConditionIn United States security, Force Protection Condition is a terrorist threat system overseen by the Department of Defense directive, and describes the amount of measures needed to be taken by security agencies in response to various levels of terrorist threats against military facilities, as...
– the highest state of terrorist alert issued by the U.S. Armed ForcesMilitary of the United StatesThe United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military... - WTC jumperThe Falling ManThe Falling Man is a photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew, of a man falling from the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:41:15 a.m. during the September 11 attacks in New York City...
– reference to people leaping from the towers. - The BathtubThe Bathtub"The Bathtub" refers to the underground foundation area at the site of the World Trade Center and accompanying buildings in New York City. Despite its title, it does not hold any water, rather it keeps water out and acts as a bathtub in reverse....
– the excavated foundations of the World Trade Center. Although not a new term, it gained prominence during rescue, cleanup and ongoing reconstruction efforts. - The PileWorld Trade Center siteThe World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
– the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center. - Pre 9/11 and Post 9/11Post-9/11Post-9/11 is a term used to describe state of living in the United States or other parts of the world after the September 11 attacks, in reference to the many changes that have occurred due to the attacks...
– Terms used to describe the period of time and the state of the world before and after the attack. They are often used to denote foreign policy and domestic security measures as they existed before or after the attacks.
Media slogans
Various slogans and captions were employed by media outlets to brandBrand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
coverage of the September 11th terrorist attack, its after effects, and the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government response. The slogans for American media were typically positioned on the bottom third of television broadcasts, or as banners across the top of newspaper pages. Designs typically incorporated a patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
red, white, and blue motif, along with an explicit graphic of the American flag. Examples include:
- "America Attacked", "A Nation United" (ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) - "Attack on America" (NBC)
- "A Nation Challenged", "Day of Terror", "Portraits of Grief" (The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
) - "America's New War", "War Against Terror", "America under Attack" (CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
) - "War on Terror" (Fox News)
- "America on Alert", "America under Attack" (MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
) - "The Second Pearl Harbor" (Honolulu AdvertiserHonolulu AdvertiserThe Honolulu Advertiser was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in the American state of Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Internet editions...
) - "War On America" (The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
)
US government
- War on TerrorismWar on TerrorismThe War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
(also Global War on Terror) refers to the political response from the U. S. Government to the attacks of 9/11 and includes the invasions of AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, the color-coded national threat condition reporting system, the Patriot ActUSA PATRIOT ActThe USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...
, and the prison camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. - Enduring Freedom – name for US-led military response in Afghanistan, Philippines, Horn of Africa, and Trans Sahara.
- Infinite Justice – original name for US-led military response, dropped after religious overtones were pointed out by a reporter at a press briefing