5 Years ago today, 9/11/2001, terrorists struck a series of coordinated attacks against the United States. Between the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and Flight 93 (which crashed in SW Pennsylvania), around 3,000 people were killed. Much like Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 (12/7), this day will go down in infamy. And much like the attack on Pearl Harbor, the attacks of 9/11 awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve. The resulting War on Terror continues, time will test our resolve.
I was supposed to be on an airplane from St. Louis to Seattle that morning, should've been in the air at the same time as those planes. But a last minute glitch cancelled my trip. I was very thankful on that day that my wife didn't have to worry about "my flight" during all the confusion of that day.
Meanwhile, I was only in the WTC once, while on a business trip to NYC. I arrived by the subway, late afternoon, while most people were leaving. I was blown away by the swell of people, more people than live in my small suburb of St.Louis. On 9-11, as we all watched the towers fall, I kept thinking about "all those people". It's franky a miracle that only 3,000 were killed.
3 comments:
doubt if any can forget.
i think of colin, a young man that was a poet in my group. he was a member before i joined. he was in the WTC and was terribly injured, broken back, awful burns. he lived for 2 years after the attack, most of the time in the hospital. he died after 2 years of what must have been torture.he wrote a poem (i think he dictated it to his sister who then sent it on) about having tolkien read to him in the hospital.
when he died his family was told he couldn't be listed as a victim of 9/11 because he had survived 2 years.
i did not know him as well as the others in my group, but he was always kind and considerate and i am proud to have known such a couragous person.
he is one of the reasons that people like kofi can push my buttons at times. i am not a peacenik, nor a pansy or an idiot. i just want to be very ,very certain we keep our eyes on the villian that was responsible for all those deaths and all the continuing sorrows and for changing how we as americans are viewed by the world and more importantly, how we view and treat each other. just, my little rant. i'll get down from my soapbox now.
Well, It's a great country that we live in, that we can look at things differently amongst ourselves. Disagree quite strongly on issues of importance, but still get along and respect each other's views.
Was 9/11 an isolated event, one group of people (Al-Queda) striking against us?? Or was it just the biggest blow in a global battle against a distributed and determined set of foes, who have been striking us since 1979?
But that's why I tend to avoid political discussions on the forum!
i like the fact that it is safe to disagree and to debate without fear of any government revenge, without having to whisper as if one was committing a crime(as debate and dessent is a crime in many places)i might not change one mind, you might not, but doesn't it feel good as americans that we can expess ourselves?
i welcome your views. i look forward to reading them.
this is a freedom that i want to save, to savor and to learn from.
: )
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