He also recalls learning that his colleague and fellow fire chaplain, Franciscan Father Mychal Judge, was among the first known victims of the South Tower's collapse.

Since 2001, attacks worldwide have increased fivefold. From the Sahara Desert to cyberspace, Islamist militants continue to find innovative new ways to extend their reach.

Americans were commemorating 9/11 with somber tributes, volunteer projects and a new monument to victims Tuesday, after a year when two attacks demonstrated the enduring threat of terrorism in the nation's biggest city.

Someone had come running out of the business office yelling that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

“When so many people rightfully were running out to save their lives, other people were running in.”

We stayed there through the night, waiting for reports from “the great out there.”