Story Archives of '9-11 Attacks'

Zacarias Moussaoui will forever be known as the first person to stand trial in the US for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The media has called him a “monster” and “extremist.” Now, a new book by a New Hampshire author looks at the Moussaoui case from a different angle, not apologizing for his actions but looking deeper at the outside factors that may have made him who he was. She explores his culture growing up in France, his upbringing and life experiences as a North African immigrant, and the news events going on in Algeria, Bosnia and Chechnya at the time that may have drawn him toward an act of terrorism.

Guest

• Katherine C. Donahue, professor of Anthropology at Plymouth State University and author of “Slave of Allah: Zacarias Moussaoui vs. the U.S.”

On the sixth anniversary of the 9/11, we look at the attacks on New York's World Trade Center through the eyes of some maritime workers in New York. The Coast Guard had put out a call for all available boats to bring in rescue crews and supplies on the morning of 9/11. We’re going to present a documentary on how some of those harbor workers and boaters evacuated thousands of people, and provided comfort to many wounded and severely shaken office workers.

Tonight on the Front Porch, we're exploring Counterfactual Theory. It's the study of "What If...". Scholars look at history and question whether things had to happen the way they did and how changing one or two event could affect the entire course of history. We'll find out more about the somewhat controversial field and how it can apply to the September Eleventh attacks five years ago.

Our guest is Richard Ned Lebow, Professor of Government at Dartmouth College. He's author of Unmaking the West: "What-If" Scenarios that Rewrite World History.

After the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 Russell Keat left his home in Grantham, New Hampshire and drove to New York. He's an expert in urban and subterranean search and rescue, an EMT, and a grief counselor. This repeat Front Porch interview represents one of Host John Walters' favorites in which Russell Keat talks about putting his expertise to work at the site of New York's World Trade Center.

Cheryl McGuinness' husband died on September 11, 2001. He was the co-pilot of American Airlines flight 11 which was flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Now Cheryl is reaching out to others who have experience tragedy and offering them the hope and comfort she has found through her faith. Her ministry, Beauty Beyond the Ashes, provides support and encouragement to anyone struggling to rise above difficult circumstances.