September 11th..
It has been a long time since this attack humbled us as a nation. The attack itself was quickly eclipsed by the magnitude of heroics by regular Americans, and the pride that all of us who were not directly affected felt that we had such heroes. I personally salute all those who risked life/limb to help others, in most cases complete strangers in a time of such astonishing need.
The tragedy was not just that so many died. The tragedy was that ordinary men/women rushed into burning buildings that would eventually collapse on them, with only the HOPE to help someone escape a fiery death. These weren’t special people, these were people like your neighbor, the guy down the street and the lady at the gas station. They gave their lives not knowing whether it would even make a difference. Whether they would even have a chance to get a person out. I am not just talking about the workers either. The office people that stayed, or went back in to try to get a co-worker or a person they didn’t see waiting outside. These people emblazoned what it truly meant to be “American” while the world watched. Then there are the people in the aftermath. Those people that worked endless hours for endless days pushing hope’s own boundary that they may find someone. A place so horrific that the K9 search dogs got depressed (read that in a magazine)! (being a dog owner, I cannot imagine my dog ever being depressed, much less depressed when I am around)
On today, do not think in anger of what has happened. Or what you feel about the war going on in Iraq. Think of the ordinary people, who became extraordinary by risking everything to save a countryman.
Heroes define us as a country. They show all, what our country has to its merit. What we all could be, and why so many people will do anything to become part of our country.