A quarter of a century has passed since the horrific event of September 11th, when planes flown by Jihadists Islamists crashed into buildings, killing thousands of Americans. As the years passed, people’s memories of that gruesome day have also faded. It seems the potential for another 9/11 is not on Americans’ radar. For many young people, it is not even a memory, since many were born after the harrowing incident. To hope for a new beginning, people must remember and reflect on the past. Three prominent Fox news figures offers their unique perspective. Jon Scott and Eric Shawn, Fox News correspondents, who reported live on the air that day and Jessica Tarlov, .a Fox News political analyst, Democratic strategist, and a co-host of “The Five.” She has written a book, I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends, that advocates for a return to a time where people can communicate even though they have policy disagreements.
They both felt how surreal it’s been after twenty-five years since that horrific day. Scott notes, “It’s kind of unbelievable to me, that it’s been that long. It seems sometimes like it was a couple of years ago, because the events of that day are so seared into my memory. It was a catastrophic day, and a horrific one, and those kinds of things tend to stick in your mind.”
While Eric Shawn literally had American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the North Tower, fly over his head that morning. “The image and the sound will be forever seared in my memory. Everything, including the smell, that metallic smell, lingered for months. Being down there, we had such hope that survivors would be found.”
Jessica Tarlov was affected as she saw smoke clouds with ash everywhere and the smell of burning metal. “it’s obviously quite central to my coming-of-age story. As my sister, my mom, and my best friend, walked home it felt like we were walking into a hellscape. In my book I wrote, “Those months taught me about patriotism and the power of belonging somewhere. For the first time, I really felt like I was part of America-and that America had dangerous enemies.” I saw the outpouring of support with firefighters and first responders coming probably from all 49 other states when all is told. And just how powerful that was for me as a 17-year-old, figuring out who I am and how I fit in.”
Jon Scott recalls thinking how sturdy the Twin Towers had been built. “I remembered that they had been built to withstand the impact of a 707, which was the largest airliner flying in the mid-1990s. When these 2 larger aircraft hit, I saw the flames, and I thought, well, ‘This is going to be a terrible death toll, and the firefighters will probably have to climb the stairs with lots and lots of hoses, and they’ll eventually put out the flames, and the World Trade Center won’t be habitable for a long time.’ But it never occurred to me that they would fall.”
Eric Shawn who was on the ground as the twin towers fell blames the government. “I went down that night, and it was a war zone. I’ve covered war zones in the Persian Gulf, and I was in Somalia. It was just horrendous. The smell, the chaos, was overwhelming that sense of horror, sadness, and shock and for me anger. I’ve had a lot of anger over it because I felt the government could have stopped it or could have at least discovered something. John O’Neill, the FBI agent, he quit the FBI, because of bureaucratic issues, and he warned about it, and there were FBI agents who sent memos about the flight schools. So. in the long run, I have an anger at the government for completely dropping the ball.”
He also blames the terrorists for the health issues survivors have been experiencing sine that day. The tally of just under 3,000 people who passed away, isn’t accurate because people have gotten sick from it, physically sick or passed away. Plus, there are mental health challenges for those who lost loved ones, lived in the area, and were involved in the recovery effort. “The victims are only considered numbers. The fact is this was a slaughter of Americans, on American soil, and it continues today. I’m very passionate about the effects of the illnesses. More Americans have now died after 9/11 of related illnesses and cancers, then were killed on that day. They have 50,000 diagnosed with cancers. They’re horrible cancers, they’re 70 cancers listed by the World Trade Center Health Program. I grieve for the families, and I mourn for those who are going through this and who are ill. As I call it, a slaughter, by the terrorists, is continuing to this day. A reporter friend of mine who I knew who died, said he was killed by the terrorists because he got cancer from 9/11. I think people have forgotten, or they are not familiar with the huge toll of victims, which has been growing and continues to grow. In many ways, I don’t think it’s recognized enough. I, myself, got several different illnesses from reporting down there including a continuous cough to Gerd, to skin cancer. I was diagnosed with skin cancer, which is the most common cancer of those who were down at Ground Zero. That’s from the exposure to the dust. I’m very fortunate, and I feel very passionate, and the whole reason I even want to talk about this, is that I hope it brings awareness that these people aren’t numbers.”
Jessica Tarlov agrees. “Two of my best friends who lived in the neighborhood, both lost parents to cancer related to the after effects of the attack, and I really wanted to call attention to it. There are some incredible advocates like John Stewart, in particular, that continue to make it very present for us, and organizations like the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. But I think, at least from my experience, that a lot of times the tentacles of 9/11 get forgotten. I agree with my colleague Eric Shawn that the blame is squarely at the terrorists’ feet. If they hadn’t done this, Eric would be in, I knocked on wood, perfect health, and my father would be around and just in his mid 70s and getting to enjoy his grandchildren. The tally of just under 3,000 people who passed away, isn’t accurate for the effects of 9/11 because people have gotten sick from it, physically sick or passed away. Plus, there are mental health challenges for those who lost loved ones, lived in the area, and were involved in the recovery effort. I think it’s obvious that the government made a lot of mistakes that led us to the attack, but then also in managing it afterwards. I mentioned in the book, those in the government, said that the air is safe, but the air was not safe. My generation, that were 18 to 20 years, will be studied to see how it affects younger generations, because it certainly was very deadly for those in their 50s and 60s.”
Jon Scott notes, “something like 20 or 25% of the nation wasn’t even alive back then. Which surprises me, given what’s happened to the birth rate in this country, but, so many people don’t remember it or weren’t alive. We just don’t feel threatened and tragically I think we’ve forgotten, in large part, the lessons of 9/11. Immediately after it happened, I think Americans were all on the same page, and we were very united as a country in wanting to find whoever did this, and, get our revenge or at least, prevent another one of these from happening. But then, it all came apart within a year or two and political leaders started sniping at each other over one thing or another. I think that the victims in large part are forgotten.”
Both Eric and Jon are adamant that Americans must recall how terrible that day was. Jon can never forget “the images of watching people who had the choice of burning to death, or inhaling toxins to the point where they wouldn’t be able to breathe. A choice between that or jumping, where so many of them ended up choosing to jump, because it was the less painless way to go. People should remember that kind of terrible choice was hoisted on us by our enemies.”
Eric concurs and feels that Americans should remember “how it was an attack on the values of our nation, how it was an attack by radical Islamic terrorists against the Western world. That’s how I see it. And as Americans, I feel that we’re here to resist that and to stand up for the Democratic freedoms that we represent in our country. I think people have forgotten the threat that we faced, and the threat that we still do face.”
For those who wish to learn more about that horrific day can tune in to Fox News that have a variety of shows honoring the 25th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks with extensive multiplatform special programming. To find the programming click on this link, https://press.foxnews.com/2026/09/fox-news-media-to-present-special-multiplatform-programming-commemorating-the-25th-anniversary-of-september-11th .
