As September 11th approaches we are reminded of the horrible tragedies that occurred at the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 that went down in Pennsylvania 15 years ago. Anyone who was around then can remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard the news of the terrorist attacks.
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It is unfathomable that any person or group of people could develop such a hatred towards the United States and its people, that they feel motivated and justified to devise a plan to kill as many Americans as they can. Yet, there are people that harbor such hatred. The twisted and confused minds that carried out the September 11th attacks thought their actions could shut down America. But, bringing down the towers that were one of the most significant hubs for world commerce and decimating one entire side of the Pentagon were not enough to make our great country surrender. It only brought us together.
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| Photo Credit: google.com |
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| Photo Credit: google.com |
There are hundreds of stories and personal accounts from people who were inside the towers when the planes hit. These stories of selflessness, sacrifice, and true heroism are saddening, inspiring, and uplifting all at the same time. There are also personal accounts of people who should have been inside the twin towers when they were attacked, but for reasons that can only be attributed to divine intervention, they were late for work that day.
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There is a disconnect between those who were actually involved in the larger than life events that day, and the rest of the world who could only watch things unfold from a television screen. I watched the towers fall live on the news, but at that time I did not understood how devastating it was.
In 2005 I had the opportunity to visit the World Trade Center site. It wasn't until then that I was able to fully understand and appreciate the magnitude of the tragedy and what happened that day 4 years before. I remember being awe struck that almost 4 years after the towers collapsed, construction crews were still cleaning up the debris. There was a 16 acre hole in the ground that was still being excavated out so construction could begin on what was to take the place of the fallen buildings.
Mounted on the fence surrounding the site were giant posters that depicted a timeline of September 11th. As people walked along the fence reading and observing the pictures that were taken that day, at the actual spot where the buildings fell, the sounds of the city that never sleeps faded away into a quiet reverence. There were dozens of people standing around as I took in the scene around me, yet it was as quiet as if I were standing there alone. When people spoke it came out as a mere whisper. People were crying unashamedly as they talked to each other about people they knew that had died that day.
I heard discussions of how horrible people felt for those in the towers above the impact zones that were hanging out the windows for a breath of fresh air. People who weren't injured in the crashes but could not escape from the buildings. People whose prayers to be rescued and return home safely were not answered in the way they were hoping. How horrible it must have been for those people whose situation was so desperate that the best option they had was to jump out of the buildings to certain death. I hope those people knew that everyone who was watching, both in person and on television, was wishing and hoping with all their might that somehow they could be saved. I hope those suffering people did not feel like they were forgotten or abandoned.
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Yes, the pictures are graphic, the stories, videos, and documentaries are graphic, but they are real. This is real life. This is not a video game or a movie made for mindless entertainment. This really happened. It may be hard to see and talk about, but we need to remember that day and the events that transpired. On Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 the world witnessed the very worst and the very best of the human condition. People whose hatred drove them to lethal violence against thousands of innocent people, and people whose love and concern for others motivated them to give up their own lives as they made an attempt to save the lives of others.
"Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
Some say that time heals all wounds. I believe there are some wounds that never fully heal. We get used to the pain and over time it fades, but it is never gone. Like the attack on Pearl Harbor, the September 11th attacks are now part of our American history. The innocent lives lost that day should be remembered, and the selfless heroism we witnessed should be celebrated.
God Bless America
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| Photo Credit: google.com |
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| Photo Credit: google.com |
