First, the 9/11 sites were chosen because of my passionate interest in the topic of terrorism and the associated consequences. Research and fieldwork is hard work and time consuming, especially when you are balancing career, family and academic studies. Therefore, selecting a topic that motivates, inspires and stimulates you is paramount. Second, the war on terrorism has been an integral part of my career experience for decades from being attacked by pirates in Sierra Leone in 1982 to leading a large global organization in support of the war on modern terrorism. Finally, the 9/11 sites were chosen for this assignment because …show more content…
Although the NYC 9/11 setting and physical memorial is incredibly meaningful, many of the primary actors at the NYC 9/11 memorial were tourists who seemingly viewed the NYC 9/11 memorial like any other NYC tourist landmark. For example, numerous observers at the South Pool were taking selfies with their iPhones. Selfies are appropriate at the Statue of Liberty but taking selfies at the NYC 9/11 site seemed inappropriate behavior.
The observers at the Pentagon 9/11 site were primarily visitors who showed a higher level of intimacy with the individual nature of Pentagon 9/11 memorial. The NYC 9/11 memorial is dedicated to the remembrance of all the 9/11 victims at the three sites, whereas, the Pentagon 9/11 memorial is dedicated to the memory of the 184 individuals who perished at the Pentagon