The Other September 11

6 months after the 6-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, it is important not only to remember the history of America, but the history of our neighbors in the world, as well. On September 11, 1973, a military coup overthrew the Chilean government and signaled the death of democracy in Chile. On September 11 at 4 am, military units stationed throughout Chile reported for action to the leaders of the coup, led by Augusto Pinochet. By 7 am, those troops were being deployed; their most effective operation was carried out in Concepcion, the country’s third largest city. Within 85 minutes, the city slipped into military control. By late morning, the palace of La Moneda was surrounded by tanks. At 1:30 pm, the Chilean public found out that the President had killed himself. Over 3,000 people were killed or disappeared during the military coup and thousands were imprisoned, tortured, or exiled.

In the documentary, “I Wonder What You Will Remember of September,” filmmaker Cecilia Carnejos narrates the terror her parents underwent during the overthrow of President Salvador Allende. Carnejos’ mother remembers walking to school, smelling bombs and smoke, and seeing images of soldiers and combat on TV. Carnejos’ father, a flour distributor with no history of political dissent, recalls being ordered to present himself at Tejas Verdes, a detention camp and military base. There, he stood in long-winded lines of steady soldiers: ordinary citizens who were once teachers, doctors, and now labeled as extremists. He remembers having to kneel for four hours with his hands behind his head before being hauled to prison in the back of a truck. Carnejos weaves imagery of her parents, Chile, and of military overthrow to create a highly personal and political portrait of terror and recovery. She believes that the relieving of her history will preserve it, allow others to remember it, and to move on with life. When her father was released from prison, life was still quite uncertain for the Carnejos and thousands of other Chilean families, who were surrounded by gunshots, helicopters, and stray bullets. As Chilean prisoners were once forced to paint walls with white paint, one of the final scenes of the documentary similarly depicts a woman painting white letters on a wall. The letters read: “America, not the world but part of it.” In her film, “I Wonder What You Will Remember of September,” Carnejos correlates the tragedies of the Chilean and American September 11ths, and poignantly suggests that Americans study and remember the history of the world—not  just of our own country.