The day our world changed forever: September 11, 2001
Published 2:51 pm Thursday, September 3, 2026
We arrived in Hamburg, Germany, just after dark from Amsterdam. Walking a street a few blocks from the train station, we passed by a group of Middle Eastern men. One was heard saying, “Americans!”
Later, my traveling friend told me they followed us. This was a little over a year before the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. We later learned that the terrorists staged in Hamburg and I will always wonder if those men we passed on the street and followed us were some of those hijackers.
Had they attacked us, the possibility of their plans being discovered was extreme. That may have been what prevented trouble with those six men. We’ll never know for sure.
The morning of September 11, I had been to a local hardware store. When I pulled into the driveway, my wife Margie came running out telling me, “America is being attacked!”
We sat at the TV watching the disaster unfold, and I remember thinking, “I’m sure glad we’re here in our Western Kentucky home and not in New York.” A year before to the day we had been in New York with another couple.
The size of the World Trade Towers was overwhelming to this country boy. A work of architectural design, engineering, and construction expertise, the towers were an impressive work of artistic design.
Early in the morning of September 12th, we received a call from our Disaster Relief team leader. Our team was headed to New York “tonight,” and we were needed.
We loaded up our gear, which we kept packed for immediate call-outs, and left home bound for New York. We were to meet the DR convoy in Ashland, Kentucky but by the time we arrived they had already left.
We drove through the night but never caught up with them. We discovered at Raritan Valley church in New Jersey the next morning that they had stopped on the interstate to sleep and we had passed them. The DR convoy arrived a few hours later.
Total confusion was the perfect descriptor for the next few days. Finally, on Friday of that week, national DR found us a place to set up, under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side of the East River.
The following is an excerpt from my article published in September 2022:
“We crossed the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in the middle of the night, after one a.m. As we crossed the bridge, to the left, the Statue of Liberty was visible. Beyond her, we could see the smoke blowing out over the water from the destroyed twin towers. I remember saying to my wife, Margie, “Our world has changed forever.” Little did I know how accurate that statement actually was.
We arrived in the city about two in the morning. The streets were not deserted at that time of night as I would have expected. Several people standing and talking waved at us as we approached our destination.
A silence existed in the city that was surreal. There were no sirens, horns, people chattering or construction noises as we had heard on previous trips. A pall of death, fear and apprehension hung over Manhattan like a dense cloud.
America, once again, went to war. Retaliation seemed logical, but the terrorists thought their attack was retaliation. saw America as the invading force when we attacked Saddam Hussain’s Republican Guard in Kuwait in 1991. By invading their sacred land, the fight was on.
It is not my place to say if that was right or wrong but it started a fight that would last for generations. Actually, I should say it continued a fight that began 4000 years ago between Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 21: 10). Always remember, everyone is a terrorist to someone.”
Once in New York City, we set up the mobile kitchen unit to be ready to prepare breakfast for first responders by morning. The unit was capable of preparing 15,000 meals per day. Later, intelligence determined the Brooklyn Bridge was considered for a second New York target.
We camped out in a warehouse under the bridge. It was full of supplies sent in by civic groups, churches, fire departments, school children and many others. We were told there were seven such warehouses around the city.
We had gone to New York in our Nissan pick-up. We were drafted to haul supplies to Ground Zero. There was a fireman from Louisville with us. The three of us crammed into the front of the Nissan. Most loads were taken between midnight and dawn. We hauled gloves, coffee, lip balm, side grinders, sledgehammers, cheese crackers, peanut butter and anything else the site workers needed.
Near Ground Zero, even after a week or more, there was a smell in the air. Several times we smelled human flesh burning. We had grit in our teeth and probably in our lungs. Walking down a street near the site, even at night, we could see thick layers of gray, powdery concrete dust through store windows.
The on-site workers to whom we delivered supplies did not talk. When I asked where to put supplies, they usually just pointed. The only response I remember was a statement of appreciation when we delivered coffee pots and coffee.
We had little rest time during the days. During the day, barricades were blocking the site several blocks out from Ground Zero.”
All in all, our experience could be described as horrible, yet we saw a building of American patriotism and resolve not seen in many years. “United we stand, divided we fall.”
Since then I have been accused of promoting Christian Nationalism for America. While that is not my intention, we must understand one of our most precious freedoms is freedom of religion. Lest we forget our experiences on 9/11, we must not forget the religion America was founded on was Christianity.
Christians should promote freedom from the penalty of sin as a faith-based belief in Christ Jesus, crucified and resurrected.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist, and missionary. His email is vmy3451@gmail.com