For me, September 11, 2001 is one of those days which will live in my memory forever. I can still remember where I was when I learned that the first plane had crashed into one of the towers. I remember watching the second plane hit live on television. I remember the way I felt the rest of the day. One year later I was in a classroom as a new teacher with chairs arranged in a circle. I listened as high school students shared how this national tragedy had affected them. Each year since then I have had a lesson for my history classes about 9/11. As the years have passed, my students were born after that day and have no personal experience with it. For them, it is another historical event. The 25th anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect. Therefore, when I learned that National Geographic was premiering a new series featuring survivors, I was very interested in viewing it.
What Is 9/11 Reunited?
National Geographic’s new three-part docuseries 9/11 Reunited premieres Friday, Aug. 21 at 8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT, with all episodes streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Created in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and from the Emmy ® -Award winning team at 72 Films, the series revisits the deadliest terrorist attacks in U.S. history through the extraordinary human connections formed amid the chaos, courage and heartbreak of that day. Across the episodes, survivors, first responders and witnesses reunite with the strangers, rescuers and everyday heroes who changed, and in many cases saved, their lives on September 11. Many of these emotional reunions take place for the first time in 25 years, providing a rare opportunity to ask long-held questions, express gratitude, and reflect on how those moments have stayed with them for decades.
9/11 Reunited is executive produced by David Glover and Mark Raphael of 72 Films, along with Academy Award ® -winners Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin. Louis Lee Ray produces, and Julian Jones directs the series for 72 Films. For National Geographic, Cate Hall and Carolyn Payne serve as executive producers.
Let’s take a look at the three episodes:
01. 8:00 AM – 9:07 AM
Three men in the World Trade Center’s north tower were heading up in an elevator when the first plane hit their building. In the elevator with them is one of the World Trade Center’s window cleaners, and when they became trapped, he took the lead and hacked their way out, allowing them all to escape. After 25 years, they reunite to thank the window cleaner for the lives they have gone on to live. When the second plane crashes into the south tower, falling debris gravely injures a woman on her way to work. A bystander stays with her in the street and wills her to stay conscious, protecting her from a stampede of fleeing people. He calls frantically for an ambulance to stop, and miraculously, one does. Meeting for the first time since 9/11, Debbie shows Stefan how far she’s come and tells him the impact his actions have had on her life.
2. 9:07 AM – 10:15 AM
3. 10:15 AM September 11 – 7:45 AM September 12
Why You Should See 9/11 Reunited
9/11 Reunited tells the story of the worst terror attacks in U.S. history, in which 2,977 people lost their lives. Yet out of the darkness of that day, there are incredibly uplifting stories. This major new series chronicles those stories, survivors who made a deep connection with others amidst the horror, and who now want to meet again. Many of them reunite for the first time since that day, needing to say thank you or to pass on a message, while others have questions that they felt unable to ask until now. Made in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to mark the 25th anniversary, the series interweaves the story of the day — from first impact to one of the last rescues — with the emotional reunions that reflect how the bonds formed that day have lasted a quarter of a century.
Five years ago I had the opportunity to preview National Geographic’s 9/11: One Day in America. It is a powerful series and if you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. Since it released, I have shown parts of it to my high school students so they can have some experience of what happened that day and learn about the brave men and women who lived through it. 9/11 Reunited is another great series that features survivors coming back together 25 years later and sharing their experiences with one another. The series contains not only recent interviews but also original footage from that day. I found it an emotional show that helps us see the healing that has taken place and continues while always holding that date in remembrance. Whether you were alive to experience what America when through on that second date of infamy or were born later, 9/11 Reunited is an important series to view.
Be sure to watch 9/11 Reunited when it premieres Wednesday, August 21 at 8/7c on National Geographic and begins streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Here is a trailer for the series.
