Tomorrow will mark another commemoration of one of the United States’ darkest and most painful days.
Eight years and an ocean of tears have passed since two hijacked passenger jets bore through the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York City. Eight years and a grieving nation have paraded before our eyes since a jetliner plowed into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C.
Eight years have passed since we learned of Todd Beamer’s last words, “Let’s roll,” as he and other passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 sacrificed their lives at Stonycreek Township, Penn. by mounting an attack against their Al-Qaeda hijackers.
Sept. 11, 2001 triggered the erasure of what was left of American naïveté. Our false sense of invincibility faced a new reality; we are vulnerable.
Millions of people around the globe were transfixed to TV coverage as the horrific events unfolded at Ground Zero and the other locations.
All told, nearly 3,000 people from more than 90 countries lost their lives in the attacks. Our national psyche was changed forever. Heroism took on a new definition as New York firefighters and police tried to make sense out of the developing chaos, tossing personal safety to the wind as they rushed into crumbling buildings attempting to save others.
New words and phrases entered our daily lexicon; words we wish we had never heard like “evildoers,” “jihad,” “first responders” and “fatwa.” As a result of fear, we allowed racial profiling to a point where anybody “suspected” of being Muslim became a suspect of terrorist activities.
Many of our gut reactions were understandable — many were not. Life as we knew it was turned upside down, sideways and inside out. The global community has run the gamut of human emotion as a result of Sept. 11.
Following a honeymoon of wanton nationalism, where it seemed as if every car and house waved an American flag, we entered into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and we’re still there. It’s not the time or place to feed the conspiracy theorists; this is a day we need each year to heal and remember.
The world swore, “We will always remember” and, for the most part, it has kept its word.
Ironically, one of our past mortal enemies, Russia, honored those who died in the terrorist attacks with a little known and underappreciated gift.
The Tear Drop Memorial, officially titled “To the Struggle Against World Terrorism stands at The Peninsula in Bayonne Harbor, New Jersey, facing the Statue of Liberty. It was given to the U.S. three years ago on the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11.
The 100-foot-tall artwork has a 40-foot jagged gap in the center, with a four-ton, nickel-plated teardrop hanging in the center. The names of all who died in the attacks are engraved at the base of the monument.
For whatever reason, former-President George W. Bush’s administration never publicly recognized Russia for the memorial gift. Hopefully, our current government can muster the decency to display our gratitude for this symbolic gesture.
Cities across the country will hold memorials. Many will involve reading the names of the victims, while others will hold candlelight vigils, ring bells, say prayers and wave American flags. Most certainly, tears will be involved at each commemorative event.
We’ve been forced to adjust, as well as to remember. We’ve learned that our economy is temperamental at best. We’ve learned that not everybody in the world loves us as we once thought. Freedoms we took for granted are likely forever gone.
However you commemorate that awful day eight years and an ocean of tears ago, we hope that it will involve actually remembering how it transformed all of our lives. And if it involves actually shedding tears, nobody will shame you — many will probably join you.