As Todd Burnett had learned about the the WTC attack from his wife, he realized the fate of his own United Flight 93. We all know what he and the other passengers of that flight decided to do about that. They became the first soldiers of the war we are still fighting.
I've spent today day watching 9/11 specials on the History Channel. I know I am not alone in my disbelief that 10 years have passed. Watching the footage from that day, it doesn't even look like a decade ago. The footage is crisp, the people are wearing clothes that still look current, they are on cell phones, it looks like yesterday. The most sobering realization of the amount of time that has passed is that my nephew was born a month after 9/11, and is turning 10 this year. He and the 5 other post 9/11 children in my family and all of their milestones and birthdays make that real for me.
There is a different feel to 9/11 for me this year. For one thing, I'm so grateful that there is not a man in cave, or as it turns out a house, celebrating our grief today. Not this year. Justice. I've seen/heard almost nothing about ridiculous conspiracy theories. Merciful. But also, while I'm still instantly jolted back to the hurt, the feelings, the memories, the moments of that day, I'm starting to spend more time thinking about how this day is going to be processed in years to come. My nephew and nieces, their generation....when they are our age, are not going to see the footage and instantly remember that day. The hurt and pain we feel, they can't fully relate. The anger we still have, they wont fully understand. They wont be able to instantly evoke the heart-stopping pride we felt watching the firemen, the police, they everyday person, the passengers on flight 93. Not like us. Fear. We have to keep this story true and as much as it hurts us, we have to show them. We learned so much about the world, about evil and good, about who we are, and we cannot let them grow up without passing that on to them.
In my life, I write to process my feelings and thoughts. Every year on 9/11, I write. It is usually a tribute, a recollection, a bookmark to myself about where I am in healing. If you have ever lost anyone very important to you, you know that you never heal...the pain does not go away, it lies dormant until it is triggered by a memory, a song, a picture, a date, a moment...and instantly the hurt, anger, unjustness becomes as real as the day it happened. Even 20 years later. The process of healing never ends. 9/11 is our collective grief experience. The raw emotions, dormant 364 days of the year, remind us that we are still healing. Those of us who lived through that day will never heal.
The years since 9/11 have been painfully divisive for our country. I'm not sure anyone really knew how to handle that day from a national security standpoint, but the decisions the Bush team made drew hatred and wrath from those who disagreed with him. Citizens took sides behind the ideological barriers, and to this day, we are still so bitterly divided. Even more than the heartbreaking stories of loss from that day, this saddens me the most. We became the family who bickers over the will after the funeral where we supported and held each other. Tom Burnett, Todd Beamer, Michael Bingham, and the other passengers of U93 taught us another lesson...you assess the situation, weigh your options, and regardless of ideology...you band together to fight the enemy and protect the innocent. You Unite.
I'll end with my favorite quote from 9/11. It was a prayer given my Donald Rusmfield.
"Ever-faithful God, in death we are reminded of the precious birthrights of life and liberty You endowed in Your American people. You have shown once again that these gifts must never be taken for granted.
We pledge to those whom You have called home, and ask of You patience, to measure our lust for action; resolve, to strengthen our obligation to lead; wisdom, to illuminate our pursuit of justice, and; strength, in defense of liberty.
We seek Your special blessing today for those who stand as sword and shield, protecting the many from the tyranny of the few. Our enduring prayer is that You shall always guide our labors and that our battles shall always be just.
We pray this day, Heavenly Father, the prayer our nation learned at another time of righteous struggle and noble cause America's enduring prayer: Not that God will be on our side, but always, O Lord, that America will be on Your side.
Amen."
~ kg
