September 11, eight years later: Wall Street must rebuild again

Eight years ago Friday, when two commercial airliners destroyed the World Trade Center, the message was clear. The U.S. had been attacked, yes -- but the heart of American capitalism, Wall Street, had been specifically targeted. The catastrophic destruction, the horrifying massacre, affected every major financial firm on Wall Street in the most personal and horrible way.

In the aftermath of the carnage, Wall Street bounced back with a mighty resilience, rising from the ashes to get back to work -- as if to prove that terrorists could wound us grievously but could never defeat our economy or our way of life. In the face of the attacks, Wall Street's determination to rebuild itself mirrored the nation's unity and defiance.