As I slowly pulled myself out of last night's slumber, I was overcome with a rush of emotion that transported me back to a morning nineteen years ago. The images of my American brothers and sisters who senselessly suffered on that day are forever ingrained in my mind. On the morning of 9/11/01, I stared at the TV screen in disbelief as all of tragic events of unfolded....
I remember a seeing a stunned businessman, covered in soot and ash, walking unsteadily down a New York side street. Chaos ensued around him as a white cloud loomed in the not-so-far distance. The businessman showed up for work that morning not realizing that today would be the worst day of his life. As much as he tried, he could not shake the thought that this was just a bad dream. Sadly, he would slowly come to realize that he was fully awake.
I can recall seeing first responders unselfishly moving into harm's way as they desperately tried to direct people away from Ground Zero. Firefighters, carrying heavy gear, trudged up the smoky stairwells of the buildings. Tragically, they did not know what awaited them. But they moved forward anyway. They were determined to save as many lives as possible. Sadly, most of those brave heroes would never come out.
I was horrified to see people jumping from the upper windows of the building.
"This can not be real", I thought. Can you imagine how torturous it must have been to make a decision like this? My mind went numb knowing that this was happening and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
New York City police officers tried their best to control the panic. As they attempted to provide a sense of calm, ominous debris showered them from above. They did their best to provide an image of control even as the city was literally falling apart around them.
I recently learned that a mother of one of the fallen officers met with President Bush in the aftermath of 9/11. She handled the President the badge of her deceased son and told him to never forget what happened on that day. George W. Bush carried that badge in his pocket for the rest of his Presidency.
I took a tour of Ground Zero of a few years later. I fought back the tears as two 9/11 survivors retold their stories. It was so raw and personal. It could feel their pain, anger and desperation. I can not imagine what it was like to be right in the middle of things that day. Knowing that your friends and co-workers were trapped in those buildings was way too much for any human to bear.
In the immediate days following 9/11 no one cared about your skin color or political affiliation. American flags were selling as fast as the stores could put them on their shelves. We flew that flag proudly as a symbol of American unity and resolve. There were plenty of tears shed and we were all hurting pretty badly. But we were in it together. We found comfort in knowing that somehow, some way, we would prevail. Because that's what Americans do!
Things are a bit different nineteen years later on this September 11. Sadly, we are no longer united. Racial tensions and political differences have deeply divided our great county. Instead of comforting each other, we now see fellow American attacking one another. Our brave police officers, who were viewed as super heroes on 9/11, are now having bricks and bottles hurled at them. And our beloved American flag, that once-upon-a-time symbol of unity and freedom, has somehow become controversial. Sadly, some Americans would rather burn the flag today than fly it proudly. No matter where you stand on any of this, I think we could all agree that we need to get back on track and become the United States again..
While it's important to figure out how we got here, it's more important to figure out how we move forward. Nineteen years might seem like a long time, but I can remember the events of 9/11 like they were yesterday. In the days that followed, I was never so proud to be an American. And I really think most people felt the same way.
My hope is that we can get back to a point where we all share a love for our great country. Things might seem a bit unstable right now. But don't ever give up on America. Just as we did after 9/11, we will also prevail through these uncertain times...
kw
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