Twenty-five years after the deadliest terror attack in history set the wheels in motion for the war in Afghanistan, British veterans have said their sacrifices were a ‘pointless waste of time’.

Western allies spent two decades fighting the ‘war on terror’ after Al Qaeda orchestrated the 9/11 suicide attacks that killed 3,000 people.

However, it took the Taliban just ten days to seize power after Nato hurriedly abandoned Afghanistan in August 2021, ushering in a new tyrannical regime which outlaws women and girls from going to school, bans the free press – while critics are subject to torture and executions – and the right to a fair trial is non-existent.

By the end of the war, 457 British soldiers had been killed fighting the Taliban, a further 2,000 were wounded – and many more diagnosed with PTSD or left homeless.

Despite the horror of watching their friends be killed in combat or blown up by IEDs, 25 years on from the devastating events of September 11, 2001, British war heroes have now said their sacrifice ‘wasn’t worth it’ and that the country is in a ‘worse state than before’ the conflict.

Ex-Royal Marine Commando Ben McBean was just 20 years old when he lost his right leg and left arm in an IED explosion in Kajaki, southern Afghanistan, in 2008.

His unit was approaching a suspected Taliban compound and he ran towards a wall when the bomb exploded, throwing him 20ft in the air. The Royal Marine, now 39, also lost two friends on tour and has been left with PTSD.

Mr McBean, who is raising money for a bionic arm, told the Daily Mail: ‘I’m proud of what we did on the ground but the whole thing was an absolute waste of time because we have nothing to show for it.

More than 450 British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan and 2,000 were wounded (File image)

Today marks 25 years since Al-Qaeda hijacked two planes and flew them into the Twin Towers in New York in 2001, sparking the West’s ‘war on terror’ which saw British troops deployed to Afghanistan over the next two decades

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‘Whilst we were there, the Afghans had freedom and their girls went to school – but not anymore. The country has gone back to how it was before we went in.

‘We spent 20 years wasting money on the war only for the Taliban to take Afghanistan back to the way it was before.

‘What annoys me is that whatever we did has been reversed. I feel a natural rage about the way we left Afghanistan, I thought it was a joke.

‘Go and ask any Afghan veteran whether what we did has had a positive impact and they’ll say “no”.

‘I fought for my country, saw friends get killed and I lost two of my limbs. But the war has been forgotten about and veterans have been forgotten about.

‘I try my hardest to say “thank you” because I’m still alive but I’m grafting to stay on my feet. Anyone like me who was injured or has PTSD knows how hard it is.

‘The people who were killed can’t see the b*****t of how we left Afghanistan and how veterans are treated at home.

‘I don’t regret my service, I achieved my dream by joining the Marines. But if I was asked to join up now, I’d fight for the British people but not for the Government, or for politicians who would send us to a random war [far from home] just to walk away from it years later and chase us down for war crimes and treat us sh*t.

‘It wasn’t worth it because after 20 years of war, all those who died, including my friends and colleagues, and guys like me who were injured, if we carried on it would have resulted in more deaths, more PTSD, more double or triple amputees.’

Gemma Gardner, 45, who deployed to Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan in 2009, described how she saw troops being rushed into the medical tent opposite her room on stretchers ‘with everything falling off them’ after they were hit by IEDs.

Gemma Gardner, 45, who served in the Adjutant General’s Corps, said she ‘feels hurt and pain over the war’ after she deployed in 2009

Ms Gardner she saw British soldiers being repatriated in coffins on a daily basis when she was stationed at Camp Bastion (File image) 

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And when she was stationed at Camp Bastion, a former airbase to the north-west of the city, the former sergeant would see British soldiers ‘going home in a box’ every day, which she said ‘takes its toll’.

Ms Gardner told the Daily Mail: ‘I feel that unfortunately we at the time had signed up to serve “Queen and Country” and were paid to do a job, not question why. But a lot of us are now out of the Armed Forces and we have opinions.

‘A lot of us are angry and frustrated in the aftermath when we think about what we had to do with no way to then process it afterwards.

‘I didn’t grasp what we were trying to achieve in 2009 in terms of what was expected of us. There was no understanding of why we were there except for what you saw on the news.

‘It wasn’t worth it when you think about the amount of lives that were lost and the families who lost husbands, fathers, wives and mothers.

‘I was posted to the forward operating base (FOB) in Lashkar Gah and my room was directly opposite the medical tent.

‘I would come out of my room at 5am and see soldiers being brought in with everything falling off them.

‘When I was at Camp Bastion I was constantly seeing bodies being repatriated and it took its toll, being stood on parade watching British soldiers going home in a box.

‘We saw our friends die and lose limbs – but for what? Not only were all those lives lost and all those bodies to bring home but sometimes only part of them – and then how many more were medically discharged as a result?’

Ms Gardner now works as an independent researcher and is the founder of the AURIS Institute, which helps veterans transition back to civilian life

Pictured: The chaos in Kabul as British troops rushed to evacuate civilians before the Taliban reached the gates of the capital city in August 2021 

‘I don’t agree with why we were there but I don’t regret going… but so many people died and we didn’t need to go in the first place. I feel hurt and pain over the war, but not anger like some other veterans.’

Former Royal Engineers sapper Jack Cummings, 38, lost both his legs above the knee during his second tour of Afghanistan – at the age of only 22.

They were blown off while searching for bombs in Babaji, Lashkar Gah, in 2010.

Mr Cummings, whose job was to search for IEDs with a metal detector, landed ‘face down’ after being hit. His commander thought he was dead. 

He was left in a coma for 30 days and then spent six months in intensive care before he was transferred to a military rehabilitation centre for three-and-a-half years.

Mr Cummings first deployed at the age of 19 in 2007 and said it is ‘absolutely heartbreaking’ to see Afghanistan in a ‘worse state’ than it was before the war.

The veteran, who went on to win Bronze in the Invictus Games and completed the London Marathon wheelchair race, told the Daily Mail he feels ‘pure frustration and anger’ over how the West ‘abandoned’ Afghanistan.

He added that while Nato were fighting the Taliban ‘we gave Afghans freedom’, with ‘women and children having the right to go to school’.

Jack Cummings, 38, lost both his legs in an IED explosion while searching for bombs with a metal detector on his second tour of Afghanistan in 2010

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He said he feels ‘pure frustration and anger’ over how the West ‘abandoned’ Afghanistan

But now, five years on, it is as if all that was achieved has been undone by the brutal iron fist of Taliban oppression.

Mr Cummings also said that politicians have since ‘forgotten’ the sacrifice of British troops.

The veteran told the Mail: ‘I feel pure frustration and anger over how the country collapsed so quickly, with the amount of lives lost and the money and effort spent.

‘Considering where Afghanistan was before the war and where it has got to, the amount of money, effort and training spent on the Afghan National Army just to see the country collapse in days – and now it’s in a worse state than before… of course, it hurts.

‘When Afghanistan collapsed it was absolutely heartbreaking. It was a total clusterf**k in Kabul, it was like “how has this happened?”

‘I still question whether it was worth it but I don’t think it was. I lost both my legs above the knee and to this day I still don’t really remember what happened.

‘However, I am very proud of my service. I had a hard job to do, it wasn’t just clearing the way. 

‘It was saving another soldier or civilian from stepping on a bomb… you didn’t know if your next step would be your last. I hope I made a difference.

‘I’ve always been positive about it and I hope Afghanistan isn’t forgotten after what we went through – but it is being forgotten now.

‘When I was injured I was in the best care, but after I was medically discharged it was a bit like “thanks, see you later” and I’ve had to rely on certain charities for help.’

Mr Cummings added: ‘I was 19 on my first tour. I was naive and I thought I was invincible so I didn’t get any insurance but I was 21 on my second tour and luckily I had it then.

‘So many of our guys were injured. We lost a couple of great guys but I can’t imagine how their families feel seeing [what has become of Afghanistan].’

Britain ‘wasted’ £22.2billion funding the war in Afghanistan. The US alone invested more than $2trillion (£1.48trillion), according to one estimate.

Western forces spent 20 years fighting the Taliban but it took just ten days for the Islamic insurgents to seize power in the summer of 2021 as they marched on Kabul with alarming speed.

Nato armies were forced to abandon millions of pounds worth of equipment – including armoured vehicles, helicopters and weapons – as they hurriedly withdrew. 

A Taliban soldier patrols the streets of Kabul equipped with what appears to be American-style kit, including an M4 rifle and combat vest

The vast Western coalition assembled to fight the Taliban fled ignominiously five years ago to the day, leaving behind billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure and military hardware

Taliban fighters wielding American supplied weapons, equipment and uniforms, storm Kabul Airport on August 31, 2021 after Nato forces withdrew

Since then images from Kabul have shown fighters decked out in Western uniforms and carrying M4 rifles, the standard issue US infantry weapon.

This equipment is now being used to oppress the Afghan people.

The draw down condemned countless civilians to the tyrannical new regime, with human rights collapsing in the country.

Because despite promising women and girls the right to go to school, the Taliban ordered a total ban on female education.

And the regime’s rise to power ‘sounded the death knell for press freedom’, according to Reporters Without Borders, with the media now being required to broadcast only state-approved information.

Amnesty International reports that Taliban critics are tortured and executed, with citizens having no right to protest, and access to a fair trial being ‘essentially impossible’ as the country faces a ‘deepening humanitarian crisis’. Meanwhile religious persecutions are carried out too.

Pink Ladies members expressed support for “woman-hater” Tate – despite their claims to be trying to protect women.

An anti-immigrant group called the Pink Ladies have come under attack for supporting misogynist Andrew Tate, despite claiming to defend women.

They are ­planning a major rally in Glasgow tomorrow amid fears of widespread disorder after a right-wing protest in July sparked chaos.

But the Pink Ladies have been slammed after members expressed support for “woman-hater” Tate – despite their claims to be trying to protect women.

Members of the Pink Ladies group have expressed support for ­“manfluencer” Tate and his brother Tristan – both of whom face a large number of charges for serious crimes against women – including rape.

On August 26, Pink Ladies Glasgow reposted on their official Facebook page material from Andrew and Tristan Tate.

The brothers used a handle created by them called The “Bruv Party”, which they earlier announced as a political party that will make a challenge in British politics.

Their post features a video of Tate talking and states: “This isn’t the Britain our ancestors died for. We must end this failure and take our nation back.”

Campaigners at Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) highlighted the group’s support for the Tate brothers, saying: “We exposed the hypocrisy of the Pink Ladies Glasgow as they shared content from the Tate brothers, the leaders of toxic masculinity and the ‘manosphere’.

“The Pink Ladies pretend to stand up for women’s and girl’s safety, then they approvingly share content from the world’s ultimate misogynists.”

A counter-protest tomorrow will involve trades union members, SUTR and representatives of Women Against The Far Right.

A spokeswoman for the anti-racist women’s group said: “The notion that any far-right group, even those that are supposedly led by women, care about women’s safety is a lie.

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“They make all of us less safe by weaponising violence against women as a way to spread racism and division. It is especially clear when some of the women involved have supported people like Andrew Tate, a misogynist who was arrested under charges for rape, child abuse and trafficking. These groups do not speak for women.”

The Facebook page for the Pink Ladies event at Glasgow Green, which has been publicised with flyers, also published an apology for supporting a racist post that spread lies about a tenement block in Glasgow.

The controversial post included a link to the blatantly Nazi National Socialist ­Movement. Despite the far-right links, organisers insist tomorrow’s Pink Ladies event will go ahead, with UK founder Orla Minihane the main speaker.

A spokesperson for SUTR said the Pink Ladies group was a front for far-right racists, saying: “We can now see the same people who have been spreading racist views and promoting disorder in Glasgow are influencing this Pink Ladies event.

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“It’s the same nucleus of people who recycle their own propaganda, which is based on lies. These people are not interested in truth. They are meant to be defending women but that idea seems very secondary to the racist material they are now dealing in.”

On its own Facebook page, SUTR highlighted the white supremacist post shared by Pink Ladies Glasgow. Posted by a Robert Simpson, of the National Socialist Movement, it featured a photo of a block of flats in Possilpark, Glasgow, ablaze.

A local rumour had stated that the block was being renovated for immigrants. The Nazi’s post stated: “Apartments renovated for 3rd world immigrants on fire in Glasgow. Let’s make Britain white and great again”.

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Despite removing that offensive post, the Pink Ladies failed to delete other far-right material by Simpson.

Among others to spread the rumour was Linda Dempster, wife of Glasgow gangland figure Bobby Dempster.

Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney hit out at people celebrating the fire, saying: “People spreading malicious ­disinformation are trying to wreck the improvement of our community in Possilpark. Listen to the facts.”

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Calls for a peaceful protest were previously issued before the far-right rally on July 25, which was meant to amplify calls for the protection of women and kids. That event descended into chaos, with masked men marauding through Glasgow.

Women Against the Far Right penned an open letter to MPs that gained the support of 200 prominent women and organisations. The letter stated a need for an “urgent wake-up call” to respond to the growth of the far right, which is fuelling ugly demonstrations in towns and cities across the UK.

On ­Wednesday, Tate, 39, and co-accused brother Tristan, 38, were denied bail after they told a Florida court they should be released to fight extradition to the UK on charges of rape and trafficking. The brothers maintain they did not commit the alleged crimes.

Police will be maintaining a massive presence at Glasgow Green tomorrow. Chief Superintendent Stevie Dolan said “Any violence will get a strong response. There is no tolerance for people intent on causing disorder.”

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “We respect the right to protest peacefully.”

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The Record has approached Pink Ladies Glasgow for comment.

In an earlier statement, they denied “weaponising violence against women”, and said Pink Ladies ­Glasgow was independent of groups which shared publicity for the rally.

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

Despite being told the boy was underage, Andrew Jackson picked him up and drove him to the woodland.

There, Jackson climbed into the back of his car and engaged in sexual activity with the teenager, who had become “reluctant” but went along with it, Durham Crown Court was told.

Jackson then dropped off the boy, who told his parents what had happened and they reported it to police.

The defendant had given the boy his name and told him he was a bus driver.

He was arrested and later picked out by the victim in an identity parade after making no comment at interview.

When Jackson was arrested at home, the car outside matched the victim’s description.

Police also found a phone containing messages arranging sexual activity with the boy.

Andrew Jackson jailed for six years for engaging in sexual activity with an underage boy and arranging the commission of a child sex offence (Image: Durham Constabulary)

They also found another online conversation in which Jackson claimed he had previously had sex with a 13-year-old boy.

Ben Sayers, prosecuting, said the defendant made no comment in two further police interviews.

But when the now 66-year-old, of Claymond Court, Stockton, went on trial in July, he claimed he believed both boys were 18.

He was found guilty of five counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of arranging a child sex offence.

Mr Sayers told the sentencing hearing that the disparity in ages was “an aggravating feature” of the case.

David Callan, in mitigation, accepted the age gap but said the complainant was only months short of 16 and showed “no hint or suggestion” of being anything other than a willing participant.

Mr Callan said Jackson has been in a 22-year relationship and worked throughout his adult life.

“He’s now paying a heavy price as he has resigned from his job, as he would have had to do.

“He’s been a bus driver and enjoyed that work.”

Mr Callan said Jackson had no drug or alcohol problems but did have health concerns.

Judge Richards Clews referred to a Probation Service report saying Jackson still appeared to deny his guilt, claiming he thought the “boy” was 18 and only pretending to be 15.

But Mr Callan said Jackson now “accepts” the jury’s verdicts, although he does not agree with them.

Judge Clews told Jackson his crimes were so serious that only an immediate prison sentence was justified.

He said, like the jury, that he was satisfied Jackson knew the boy’s age.

During the trial, the judge said the complainant had clearly stated that he had never lied about his age.

The judge said the boy had agreed to the sexual activity but became “reluctant” and felt it had gone too far to stop by the time he was in Jackson’s car.

Judge Clews described it as “predatory behaviour” by the defendant.

“You were looking for and found a boy of this age and willing to engage in sexual activity.”

The judge said the boy returned home in “emotional turmoil” and told his mother what had happened, prompting police to trace Jackson.

Imposing a six-year prison sentence he told Jackson he would serve two-thirds, or four years, before becoming eligible for release on licence.

The judge also put in place a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, for ten years, and made Jackson subject to sex offender registration for life.

Republicans gathered in Dallas for the closing day of the party’s first-ever convention held in the middle of a US presidential term, where US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance spoke to voters.

The aim of the convention was to boost enthusiasm among supporters, even as protesters of Trump gathered outside.

The BBC’s North America editor Sarah Smith breaks down the main takeaways from the two day event.

Reminder – A1079 road from York to Hull to close for resurfacing works

A road roller is behind cones on the eastbound lane of the A1079 outside Dunnington, close to the layby where The Scrap Box fish and chip shop is located.

Temporary traffic lights were controlling the flow of traffic, according to eyewitnesses and York-bound traffic was queueing as far back as Dunnington village, before the morning rush hour.

Overnight resurfacing work is running from York Road in Dunnington along a three-mile stretch to Kexby.

This includes a scheduled closing of the A1079 in the area from 8pm to 6am, until the morning of Saturday, September 19.

Women now have the Right to Ask police if a new boyfriend has a history of abuse after a young mum was murdered and set on fire.

The numbers of women being warned by police that their partner has a violent past has almost doubled in the last five years.

The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland – also known as Clare’s Law – allows people to find out if a new or existing partner has previously been abusive to others, called the Right to Ask.

Figures released by Police Scotland under Freedom of Information show that the number of disclosures made by them about violent partners has risen steadily since 2021.

That year there were 2305 disclosures rising to 4082 in 2025 – an increase of almost 80 percent.

Claire’s Law also enables anyone with concerns about the partner of someone they know, to apply for a disclosure.

Eve Graham, from Nairn, who suffered more than 40 years of abuse at the hands of her husband, said: “Anything that allows women to find out if their partner has previous is to be welcomed.

“In the past women were reluctant to believe that the new man in their life was violent. The last thing you would think then would be to check them out.

“However domestic violence is so prevalent now a lot of younger women are thinking:’ I’ll just check this guy out.’”

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Eve, 68, also welcomes the fact that families and friends can apply to the police for a disclosure about a loved one’s new partner.

She added: “It is great idea. Often love is blind.

“You might get a new boyfriend and think he is the nicest guy on earth but your family think there is something about this guy which is not right and they can now contact the police about their suspicions.

“My husband’s persona to the public was different from the one that I experienced. People said he wouldn’t hurt a fly, may be not, but he would certainly hurt his wife.”

Eve was pushed into the sea from a pier, bitten on the nose and smashed over the head with a bucket in a series of brutal attacks by her husband William McDonald.

McDonald, 77, from Ardersier, Inverness-shire, was jailed for two years last year at the High Court in Glasgow but released in June released after serving just 12 months. He also received a 10-year non-harassment order from the court.

Clare’s Law was named after mum Clare Wood, 36, who was murdered and set on fire in Salford in 2009 by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton who had a history of violence against women.

Clare’s dad Michael Brown, who is originally from Aberdeen, campaigned to allow people to check with police whether their partner had a record of abusive behaviour.

Both women and men can apply for information about a partner. However the vast majority of cases involve women who are at risk.

Dr Marsha Scott, CEO of Scottish Women’s Aid said: “We should be cautious about reading too much into the numbers alone. They don’t tell us whether more men are perpetrating domestic abuse or whether more women are aware of the scheme.

“What they do tell us is that too many women continue to have good reason to question whether they are safe. As we’ve said before, the Disclosure Scheme is a sticking plaster, not a cure.

“It can be an important tool for some women, but it should never be seen as the solution to men’s violence against women.

“We cannot continue to place the burden on women to identify and manage the risk posed by abusive men.”

Earlier this week it was revealed that attacks in Scotland by a spouse or a partner at an 11 year high.

Prosecutors at the Crown Office received 34,586 reports from Police Scotland with domestic abuse charges in 2025-26, up 14 per cent on the previous 12 months.

The figures also include 11 charges of murder or culpable homicide – up from six the previous year.

Detective Superintendent Adam Brown of Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Coordination Unit said: “The Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme (DSDAS) continues to be an important preventative tool in tackling domestic abuse.

“We actively promote the scheme and are encouraged by the steady increase in applications to the scheme from people who are concerned about their relationship, or that of a friend or loved one.

“Receiving a disclosure can help people make a decision about the future of their relationship and make decisions about how best to keep themselves safe.

“The application form can be accessed on our website and I would urge anyone with concerns, either for themselves or someone they know, to submit a DSDAS application.”

It was closed for a redesign

A McDonald’s branch on a busy Cambridge road has now reopened after a transformation. The popular restaurant in Newmarket Road underwent a redesign which will reportedly deliver a better customer experience.

McDonald’s reimaging programme combines a new restaurant layout with the latest technology to create a more seamless and enjoyable experience for customers. The Newmarket Road restaurant reopened on Wednesday, September 9.

Improvements have been made for restaurant crew with a redesign of the crew room which will create a more relaxing and comfortable space for them to take a break. While the traditional walk-in remains core to how customers order, the McDonald’s kitchen and dining areas have seen changes.

This redesign will aim to better integrate digital sales channels, the McDonald’s App and make smarter use of internal space to enhance the dine-in experience, according to the fast food chain. With dedicated areas for the different ways to order, the revamp will offer a more efficient way to order and will leave customers with more space to enjoy their meal.

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Local McDonald’s Franchisee, Richard Cross, who owns and operates two McDonald’s in the Cambridgeshire area, said he is “proud” to reinvest in the busy Cambridge restaurant. He added: “The dining area is more contemporary, and we now have separate facilities for our dine-in customers leading to a better experience for everyone.

“It’s exciting to see the fresh new look and feel of our Newmarket Road restaurant and I’m confident the changes will not only benefit our customers but also our restaurant team as these will help make their jobs a little easier.”

In a tragic final few days a man saw as a trial from God, he sat chronicalling his dying thoughts, as he ran out of water with hos dog by his side and a glittering lake just a few steps away from him.

An experienced hiker embarking on a solo trek across Wyoming left behind an eerie and tragic diary detailing how a freak accident led to his tragic death.

Presbyterian minister Mike Turner had left to go on a religious journey, and hike, in an effort to reconnect with God, along with his beloved black Labrador, Andy.

It was due to Andy that Mike made a last-minute change to his plans. As podcaster Mr Ballen explains: “He and Andy had been up at an elevation of about 13,000 ft, walking on some icy parts of the mountain and Andy’s paws were getting really raw from walking on the jagged ice.

“On the fourth day Mike had noticed Andy was whimpering and struggling to keep up, when normally he was super-energetic.”

Mike decided to take a different route around the mountain rather than over it. This decision ultimately cost Mike his life. Shortly after leaving his planned route, Mike was giving Andy some water when the dog made a break for some nearby trees.

Following him, Mike walked through the patch of woodland only to discover a vast lake surrounded by a mass of boulders.

Andy climbed over the rocks and was happily lapping water from the lake. Mike began navigating his way across the rocky terrain to reach his dog.

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But then catastrophe struck. One of the boulders began shifting as he stood on it, and as the 48-year-old attempted to steady himself, he tumbled between two of the rocks. Before he could escape his predicament, the unstable boulder toppled over entirely, leaving him trapped.

The way he was trapped meant that Mike wasn’t harmed but could not escape. Mr Ballen said: “After two hours of trying in vain to free himself it dawned on Mike that he was not going to be able to free himself. The only way he was getting out of here is if somebody found him and rescued him.”

Mike had some food and water and he chose to keep a diary until help arrived. However, as the days dragged on, his entries gradually transformed from hopeful to a kind of dark humour.

He wrote: “I am concerned about first losing my legs, second running out of snow to melt for water, and fuel, third hypothermia. My biggest concern is water. I have only 2 quarts left. The irony is that the lake is only 30 feet away…I am drinking 1 quart today, saving a quart for tomorrow. I am also saving my urine. I wonder how it will taste with Crystal Light?”.

Temperatures soared to 37ºC during daylight hours, but dropped to nearly freezing overnight. Mike said initially believed God was putting him through this trial as a lesson.

Later, he wrote that God must be punishing him, before ultimately accepting that he was going to die.

Andy never left his master’s side, spending days on end lying on a ledge above him. On 5 August, after four days trapped between the stones, Mike wrote: “I feel so foolish taking this longer pass. So lonely, more than I imagined. Who would have guessed that four days would have gone by and no one has come this way?”.

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Meanwhile, Mike’s wife was growing worried as he hadn’t met her at the end of the trail as planned. She alerted the authorities and a search was launched – but since no-one knew about Mike’s change in route, the searchers were looking in entirely the wrong part of the vast wilderness.

It wasn’t until 28 August, nearly a full month after Mike had embarked on his trek and a week after the search had been called off, that two hikers found a dishevelled-looking black Labrador wandering miles away from the search area. After Andy had been examined by a vet, a new search was launched – this time in the correct area.

But by then Mike had been found. Another solo hiker, Jeff Stewart, was walking near the unnamed lake in the Wyoming wilderness when he spotted a man, seemingly sitting on a rock.

He said: “I had seen the posters at the trailhead and knew they were looking for someone,” he told Backpacker magazine. “So I called out, ‘Hey, are you all right?’ There was no answer. I knew there wouldn’t be.”

A final message, intended for Mike’s wife, states: “Thank you for letting me live this adventure. Know wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, I am thinking of you.”

Mike had died of exposure, hypothermia, and dehydration approximately nine days following his accident. His journal was found near his body, thoughtfully placed in a plastic bag to shield it from the weather.

On a nearby stone, Mike had positioned his wedding ring: “He knew once he died and decomposed the ring would fall off his bones and be lost in the rocks below,” Mr Ballen explains.

“He clearly wanted his family to have that wedding ring, so he placed it on the Rock and then he prepared to die.”

Edna Cintrón’s life was almost predictable – and she couldn’t have asked for more.

Neither she nor her husband, William, was interested in the martinis and Broadway shows synonymous with life in New York City.

Instead, the pair enjoyed casino buffets at Atlantic City, collected porcelain figurines of angels and ate ice cream on the sofa.

William, who was 44 at the time, said: ‘She was also my backbone. She made me strong. She made me who I am today.’

But one day Edna, 46, went to work as an administrative assistant for insurance firm Marsh & McLennan – and never came home.

On September 11, 2001, a United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, tearing through the 93rd and 99th floors.

The impact destroyed all escape routes, and worried loved ones and emergency workers alike assumed the worst.

But as people watched in disbelief as office supplies, twisted metal and concrete fell from the skies, they realised that some people had survived.

New Yorkers 400 miles below photographed and filmed a woman, believed to be Edna, standing at the edge of the flaming hole left by the jet and waving through it.

The Marsh & McLennan’s offices were on the 93rd floor, and Edna gestured for help for about 20 minutes, near another man doing the same.

She quickly became known as the ‘waving woman’

At 10.28am, the impact site collapsed, and Edna became one of the nearly 3,000 people who died that day.

In the wake of the disaster, William wandered around Manhattan carrying a photograph of his wife, asking panicked office workers and emergency responders if they’d seen her.

He tried St Vincent’s, a nearby hospital, but staff had no record of her. At the disaster site, he was turned away.

William told The Independent at the time: ‘They said we’d interfere. We can’t just be in the way.’

By September 12, he was at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue asking how to file a missing person’s report.

Edna’s body was never recovered, although William ‘tentatively identified’ her as the woman waving in video footage, according to a memorial page.

Her gold engagement ring, however, was found in the rubble and donated to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Who was Edna Cintrón?

Edna was born in Puerto Rico on October 14, 1954, and her family moved to Delancey Street in Lower Manhattan when she was five.

They weren’t the richest – Edna’s mum gave her a few cents a week as pocket money. She didn’t graduate high school.

‘She experienced a lot of stuff,’ William said. 

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Edna met her future husband in 1987. She was chatting with her friend at her home in Upper Manhattan when William walked into the kitchen.

He recalled: ‘I was charming at that time; I wore cashmere.’

The couple managed a flower shop in Harlem that they jointly owned, Sweet William’s Florist, while living in East Elmhurst, Queens.

For a spell, they were briefly homeless, and Edna supported William as he recovered from alcoholism, her obituary states. He stayed sober thanks to her support.

William said: ‘Fourteen years with her, that was my life, my world. I knew when I went home I was in the best of hands, loved, cared for.’

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9/11: 25 years later

It has been 25 years since the horrific 9/11 attacks that brought down the Twin Towers in New York City, claiming the lives of thousands.

Follow Metro’s coverage of the 25th anniversary of 9/11 as we look back on the tragic attack, those who died, survived, and those who helped:

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Willian remembered his wife not as the ‘waving woman’, but as a ‘strong’ person who always had dinner on the table when he came home.

He died on September 24, 2021, after moving to Kissimmee, Osceola County, Florida. He was 64.

Marsh & McLennan told Metro that it hosted a public, digital memorial that honours the 358 workers and friends who died in 9/11.

One friend wrote on a tribute page to Edna: ‘I will never forget when I first saw Edna. An amazing woman who should never be forgotten or ignored.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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MORE: Full list of all the victims who died on 9/11

MORE: 9/11 didn’t end in 2001 – ‘forgotten’ victims are still suffering and dying daily

MORE: Harry Styles sparks backlash over NYC concert ticket’s unfortunate 9/11 blunder

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