Opinion: How Chicago shared in the suffering and chaos of 9/11

Chicago on 9/11 shared none of the horrors suffered by the people of New York or Washington that day. No planes crashed into buildings here; no buildings collapsed. There was no major loss of life. But Chicago most definitely shared with those people the shock, grief, vulnerability — and ultimately unity — that became the dominant emotions of that fateful day.

In the early hours of 9/11, most Chicagoans were in the midst of their morning routine. Shops were opening, deliveries were being made, commuters were beginning their journeys and parents were readying their children for school. A normal day, until 7:46 a.m. local time, when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

Reports of that crash drew some Chicagoans’ attention as they watched morning TV