Thomas Gounley

TGOUNLEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

On Sept. 11, 2001, Marleen Friedrich learned of the terrorist attacks while listening to the radio on her drive to work. Once she arrived, she turned on the TV.

Friedrich was a teacher at Springfield's Weller Elementary School. As her fifth-grade class arrived, she recalled Thursday, she found herself grappling with how to best reach students whose "sense of security was really shaken."

The curriculum didn't call for her to teach about World War II, but that's where Friedrich guided the conversation. The situation seemed reminiscent of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. And she hoped that the outcome of the years-long battle between the Allies and the Axis might be a source of comfort.

"I just kind of wrapped it into World War II so they wouldn't be too afraid since we survived World War II," Friedrich said Thursday.

On the morning of the day that would become known as 9/11, Friedrich also spoke to the News-Leader about her classroom's reaction to the attacks. Her remarks, along with those of numerous other individuals from the area, were featured in a rare "extra" edition, produced by the newspaper within a matter of hours and distributed to the public the afternoon of the attacks.

The first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 7:46 a.m. local time that day, and a second plane struck the South Tower 17 minutes later. Two other commercial airliners were also hijacked. One was piloted into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. The second crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back.

By early that afternoon, News-Leader staff had filed 10 local news stories and one column, along with photographs. Their efforts were laid out, along with the latest national stories from The Associated Press, in an eight-page special edition.

"WAVE OF TERROR," the main headline read. "Thousands believed dead in terrorist attacks on symbols of American power."

Revisiting the section 15 years later provides a window into the initial hours after the deadliest terror attack on American soil. The radical Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda, and its founder Osama bin Laden, were already being floated as the party likely responsible. Cities around the country were taking precautions. So much, however, was still unclear. The death toll — now just shy of 3,000 — was then just a question mark.

Among the headlines and coverage from that extra edition:

'Air traffic shut down in city and across the nation'

Flights stopped departing from what was then known as Springfield-Branson Regional Airport at about 8:30 a.m., and a handful of planes that had been in the sky made emergency landings.

"There will be no flying today, period," a Springfield airport spokesperson said. "That much we do know."

"It's very serene here," a St. Louis airport official said. "People are very understanding ... they're all riveted to the TVs, of course, and just waiting to see what will happen next."

At the Springfield airport, Jean-Luc Carion, identified as a gymnastics coach from Tulsa, told the News-Leader he was "living a nightmare."

"I never thoughts that would be possible ... I want to go home," he said. "I want to drive back to Tulsa and hug my son and kiss my wife."

'In the Ozarks, people are filled with disbelief, fear'

On the Drury University campus, one student acknowledged he thought a friend was joking when the latter announced the attack during a break. A school staff member told a reporter she hadn't heard from her brothers, who lived in New York City and Washington D.C.

Art professor Tom Parker, comparing the event to Pearl Harbor, said "our lives are changed forever."

"Nothing will ever be the same," he said.

At Hamby's restaurant in north Springfield, the lack of a TV or radio meant staff didn't learn of the attacks until a customer mentioned it around 9:30 a.m. Waitress June Salvador said she figured it meant war.

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid," Salvador said. "I have an 18-year-old son and I have a husband in the National Guard."

'Teachers turn off TV, turn on patience'

The Springfield school district asked teachers to turn off televisions in elementary and middle school classrooms. At Central High School, principal Everett Isaacs said "only social studies classes are watching, and for a brief time."

"We will give the students periodic updates so they know what's going on, but we don't want to fuel a sense of paranoia," he said.

Friedrich, the Weller Elementary teacher, said she had pulled down maps to show students where the attacks had happened.

"A little girl in my class asked 'Is it getting worse?' I had to tell her I didn't know," she said that day. "They ask, 'What if something happened in Springfield?' They are starting to panic a little bit. It's hitting them on a very personal level."

Eleven-year-old Natalia Allen, who was photographed alongside Friedrich, said she missed her bus because her father called her to the TV to watch the news. Her father ultimately drove her to school.

"It's sort of sad because I had friends move to New York," Allen said. "I am thinking about my friends."

'Stunned Ozarkers turn to prayer'

More than 20 Springfield-area churches scheduled prayer services in the afternoon or evening of Sept. 11, or announced that they were open for prayers.

Park Crest Assembly of God Pastor Scott Temple told the News-Leader he previously led a church "just 20 minutes from Manhattan" and that he hadn't been able to get in touch with anyone there.

"At a time like this, there's one Scripture that just jumps into your spirit: 'The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe,'" Temple said, citing Proverbs 18:10.

"The bottom line of the safety God provides is eternal safety, not necessarily temporal," Temple continued. "Those who died in this tragedy aren't lost. They're present with the Lord. That's about the only comforting thought you can have."

Shahnaz Eberle, a teacher at the Islamic Center of Springfield, acknowledged some concerns about how the attacks could affect the perception of American Muslims. But she said she believed the local community would respond appropriately.

"You just have to be more cautious," she said.

Other coverage

The News-Leader also wrote about financial experts' advice to avoid panicking, and that Missouri's military bases were on alert.

Some information was more basic. Numerous high school and college sporting events scheduled for the evening were canceled or postponed. The mall closed early. Officials were encouraging people to donate blood.

The Sept. 11 afternoon edition was the News-Leader's first extra since the start of the Gulf War. Given the industry's migration to online publishing, there is unlikely to ever be another "PM EXTRA."

The News-Leader that followed on the morning of Sept. 12 bore the headline: "Mass Murder," with smaller text above noting that President George Bush had pledged to "hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly actions."

That Sunday, Sept. 16, the News-Leader again quoted the president in its headline: "We're at War."

Public invited to Sunday memorial service

Klingner-Cope Family Funeral Home at White Chapel will host a "Never Forget" Tribute on Sunday at 4 p.m. The program will include speakers and singers, and there will be an opportunity for attendees to participate in a half-mile remembrance walk in honor of those killed in the attacks.

A banner will be available for the community to write notes of thanks to local first responders. The event is free and open to the public. The event will take place at 5234 W. State Highway EE.