There have been some beautiful tributes over the last several days as our Nation marks the 10th Anniversary of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks. As I've watched the coverage, I can tell you that it all feels just as raw to me now as it did then. I didn't live or work in New York City on September 11th. I didn't work at the Pentagon. Nor did I then, or now have, any connection to Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I didn't personally know any of the victims of that horrible tragedy. But I was and still am an American. And what happened that day changed all of our lives.
I watched Fox News' coverage Saturday afternoon of the Flight 93 Memorial unveiling. It made me proud to see President Bush and First Lady Laura, President Clinton, Speaker Boehner and Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, there to remember those who gave their lives that day to save who knows how many others' lives. I sat with tears streaming down my face when Sarah McLachlan sang I Will Remember You... and then when I thought I was done, she sat down at the piano again and sang Angel. And the tears flowed again.
I did get a laugh out of President Clinton when he said "Since I am no longer in office, I can do unpopular things"... but then he got serious again when he went on to tell everyone that he was shocked that they still needed to raise $10 million to finish the memorial. So, in his words, "Speaker Boehner and I have already volunteered to do a bipartisan event in Washington and let's get this show on the road. Let's roll." He used those words. Those words that every single time I hear them, I think of Todd Beamer and the passengers of Flight 93. If anybody ever needs to define the word "hero", you need to look no further than the passengers of Flight 93. They were true American heroes.
This morning it has been wall-to-wall coverage of the memorial services at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and that field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We've heard over and over again the calls made to loved ones from those who knew, at that moment, that they were going to die. We've seen the damage and destruction at the Pentagon and heard the stories from those who risked their lives to save coworkers and strangers in the darkness after the crash. We've watched repeated images of the planes crashing into the Towers. Countless images of the Towers on fire. And even more images of the Towers coming down with all of the smoke and ash rushing through the streets, covering everyone and everything in its path. We've relived the events with first responders, rescue workers and survivors, and have cried with all of them over all of the lives lost.
We have watched our current and past Presidents attend memorials at each site, speak to the families, and lay wreaths in remembrance. We've held moments of silence, read names, rang bells, sang songs, and shared memories. And while it may seem like the coverage is excessive, it isn't. What happened on that day changed our lives. We don't need to live in an "out of sight, out of mind" society. We need to understand that the threat is still there and it is real. We, as a Nation, need to remember September 11th. Every. Single. Day. And then we need to live every day like it was September 12, 2001. United. As a Nation.
This
song by Darryl Worley says it all.
"My fellow Americans, for as long as our country stands, people will look to the resurrection of New York City and they will say: Here buildings fell, and here a nation rose." - George Bush
