Jan. 11, 2012
Story and photo by Brandon Steinert

Following the terrible events of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans were faced with a handful of difficult questions, like “How could this happen? Why did it happen? Who is responsible?” and many more.

Some of these questions, specifically ones beginning with “why,” still plague the American public.

Barton history instructor Linda McCaffery is hoping to bring some clarity to those looking for answers with a free public seminar on the historic background of the terror attacks.

The event is set for 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 in F-30 of the Fine Arts Building.

The history will be covered in about 30-40 minutes, followed by a showing of the documentary, “The Road to 9-11.”

“After the 10^th anniversary of 9-11 rolled around, many people were still as baffled as the day it happened,” McCaffery said. “Why something happened is frequently more important than what happened, and often times things can be explained by looking into the past.”

She isn’t talking about a few years, decades or even centuries ago. The world events leading to Sept. 11, 2001 start as early as 2350 B.C.

“The Japanese didn’t get up one morning and decide to bomb Pearl Harbor,” she added. “That had been coming for 90 years.”

McCaffery said she hopes her guests walk away with a greater understanding of what happened and why, and an understanding of how the past is constantly affecting the present and the future.

There is no fee to attend. McCaffery said it’s important to keep the public informed and educated.

“I do these seminars as a public service,” she said. “This is part of being a community college; Our mission is to share our expertise.”