On the morning of September 11, 2001, a clear blue sky stretched over New York—a detail often recalled by those who were in the city that day. Four planes, hijacked by a group of Islamic extremists, were deliberately flown into symbols of American power, two of which were the Twin Towers. As the planes struck the buildings, that blue sky was engulfed by hatred, and all that light seemed to vanish. In just one hour and seven minutes, “New York was permanently marked by the threat of terrorism” (Light 536). From that moment, the United States faced a crisis unlike any it had encountered before. As a consequence, 9/11 ushered in not only the “War on Terror,” but also a global national threat, a profound sense of fear and helplessness, marking the beginning of a national crisis that America would struggle to overcome. Since that tragic day, the site where the towers once stood has become a place of official remembrance. Every September 11, as the sun sets over New York, two columns of light rise into the sky, outlining the profile of the Twin Towers as a permanent sign of commemoration in the “Tribute in Light.”