Remembering 9.11.01

The attack on America, a decade ago today on September 11th, 2001 is most certainly the greatest tragedy I have ever witnessed. Undoubtedly, countless Americans feel the same way. Today is a day for all the people of this great nation to come together to share and grieve. While many will share memories and offer condolences, today I would like to simply put together a short list of the things that I feel shine a little hope on the shadows of that day.

1) FDNY

An iconic photo of courage

Hundreds of New York firefighters responded to the call and ran into the very thing that everyone else was running away from. 343 of them died that day while working to get civilians to safety. It's all part of the job that they committed themselves to. I know that my dad would have done the same thing had it happened in Denver. Despite having their entire department ripped apart in a matter of hours, those remaining worked tirelessly, seemingly driven on by their fallen brothers. FDNY is a stronger department today because of all they did that day. The same goes for NYPD and all the NY EMTs.

2)  The beautiful memorial and ceremony at Ground Zero.

Were you to fly over ground zero today, from above you would still see what may look like a shadow of the the Twin Towers which once stood there. Today, two enormous fountains stand in the exact foot prints of the two towers where thousands of gallons of water rush down two tiers and seemingly straight down into the earth in the center of the tower's foundation. All around this are carved in brass the names of the people who died there that day painstakingly grouped together with those of friends and family. This memorial is truly a beautiful sight where there was once only chaos and devastation and a testament to our country's strength and perseverance. For the tenth time in as many years the names of each victim were read aloud by friends and family, today was the last time this ceremony will formally take take place at Ground Zero. As three New York police officers played Taps in a perfect and pure chorus, families both present and around the world payed their respects.

3) The way a crisis can bring out the best in people



It was not just the professionals who went to the aid of the people who were injured or trapped. All over New York, people helped other people simply because they cared and they knew it was the right thing to do. I watched a short piece today on CNN that showed a great example of this called Boatlift. When the towers fell no one knew what was going on or how to handle it, all the subways and trains in Manhattan were shut down. This left a huge number of people literally trapped on the island and standing at the sea wall after fleeing as far as they possibly could. The regular ferry service was far from equipped to handle that volume of people so the call went out, "all available boats report." According to the captains of the first boats on scene the next sight they saw was a horizon filled with an army of tug boats, private boats, and party boats all speeding their way to the aid of the people who wanted nothing more than to get out of Manhattan. In what has been dubbed The Great Boatlift of 9/11, 9,000 people were rescued in 9 hours thanks to the efforts and quick thinking of "Regular Joes" and there are similar stories from nearly every facet of that terrible day.

4) The strength and bravery of the American people

Thousands of Americans lost loved ones that day and although the days and years that followed have been incredibly difficult, we as a nation have come out of it even stronger than before. The countless ways that people have expressed their feelings and reached out to others have built up over the past ten years like an invisible support system that we can all turn to when we find ourselves in need. One year after the attacks, an eleven-year-old girl named Brittany Clark wrote this poem for her father who was lost the year before:

I give you this one thought to keep/
I am with you still, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glint on the snow.

I am as sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not think of me as gone,
I am with you still in each new dawn.



I am amazed and inspired by the courage and strength (not to mention writing talent) such a young American could find in such a terrible time.

5) the overwhelming sense of patriotism that followed

Do you remember how for weeks after 9/11, everywhere you went you saw American flags and proclamations of "God Bless America"? I clearly recall a distinct and deeply rooted sense of patriotism throughout every community in America as we strangers came together as a nation to send a message of unity and strength to our attackers just as much as to ourselves. I wish that we could feel that sense of pride in our country more readily since that day, it shouldn't take an attack on our people and the deaths of thousands of innocent citizens to remind us how lucky we truly are to call ourselves Americans.


Please remember.