A Day of Remembrance

     Today is Sunday, September 11th, 2011. It is the tenth anniversary of the bombings of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

     On this day, I am remembering the innocent men, women and children who lost their lives because of religious fanaticism.

     In June 2003, my daughter and I traveled to New York City. We visited the site where the World Trade Center once stood. To my surprise, it looked like an ordinary construction site. I didn't realize that we were there until I noticed the flowers, sympathy cards and other greetings that other visitors left. This simple memorial site was fitting because the men and women who died there were ordinary citizens who hadn't done anything wrong. They had merely gone to work.

     Today I am remembering the firefighters who bravely entered the blazing towers and tried to put out the fires. How heartsick I felt when I saw the buildings collapse on national television! Later, someone modestly said that those brave men were only doing their jobs. That's because firefighters risk their lives every day to protect us from fire and its destruction.

     Let's remember the police officers, the paramedics and the good Samaritans who risked their lives to help the victims.

     Let's remember the doctors, nurses, grief counselors, social workers and others who worked tirelessly to help the victims and their families.

     I have often said that if I had been one of the victims, I would not want to know what was happening. I would  prefer to die quickly, without living the last few minutes of my life in absolute terror. My husband disagrees. He says that he would prefer to know what was taking place around him. But my husband is a trained warrior, having retired after 21 years in the U.S. Army. I'm quite certain that if he had been aboard one of the hijacked airliners, he would have attempted to retake it, like the heroes who died in Pennsylvania on Flight 93.

     Today is a day to remember our heroes. When we Americans pull together and work for the common good, nothing and no one can defeat us.