Jim Cohen
Staff Writer
Five years ago the Towers that stood for American pride, entrepreneurship and capitalistic power were struck by 19 terrorists whose goal was not only to kill innocent civilians, but to symbolically demolish U.S strength and confidence by transforming the World Trade Center into a miserable heap. That rubble, which has since become Ground Zero, now symbolizes the fact that a country, which has for most of it’s existence represented invulnerability, is in fact susceptible to even worse devastation than it experienced on Sept. 11.
On that dark day, Americans stared into the reality of fear. A kind of fear not experienced by Americans in 60 years, since the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Fear can cripple individuals and nations. Fear can also be used by terrorists to rally people toward a dangerous cause, and in that way, it is a losing idea because its endgame leads to death and destruction. Fear leads to the kind of destruction America faced five years ago. Fear is void of hope that tomorrow can be a better day and it ignores the American spirit that hope can be, and hope is a great thing.
In the face of the five-year anniversary, citizens of the United States need to embrace hope for the future instead of becoming more divided on the basis of fear. While, remembering that day resurfaces tragic feelings, it is also an opportunity to remember the unity and need for hope, which so many Americans experienced alongside the devastation.
As the Twin Towers burned, people from all backgrounds were trapped in a cage of fear that led to God-awful death and destruction. Americans in red and blue states watched in horror of the terrible destruction as a group of Americans shining with a beacon of hope marched into that fear. These Americans were the finest men and women our country had to offer. They were pedestrians, police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians who were trained to help save those facing the worst scenarios of fear.
While we watched the events unfold on our televisions, a group of passengers on American Flight 93 confronted the terrorists head-on and said, “No!” Although efforts to save their lives were unsuccessful, countless lives were spared as the plane was headed toward the Capital building and the White House. Meanwhile, a flight was on its way crashing, into the Pentagon.
During these moments of terror, Americans across the country thought of their loved-ones. Within minutes we made phone calls to our parents, our siblings, our friends and to our neighbors. Our eyes filled with tears, our hearts with compassion and our minds of concern with the hope that survivors would be found.
Before the Towers fell, people who worked in the buildings for high-profile companies and earned six-figure incomes hoped they would be saved from the destruction. People who cleaned bathrooms, emptied trash bins and earned minimum wage hoped they would make it out of alive. Many faced awful decision but regardless of the gut-wrenching decision each person made, in their moment of fear they thought of their loved-ones while some prayed to God and others prayed to be rescued. Each person hoped they would be saved and their loved-ones would be safe in their absence.
After the towers fell, Americans boarded cars, trains and airplanes heading toward the rubble. We set up work stations offering assistance to the rescue teams who were responsible for rummaging through the debris searching for survivors. We opened our wallets and donated tens-of-millions of dollars to help the families of the victims. Local restaurants offered free food and a place to rest for the rescue teams who rotated in and out of Ground Zero.
The early hours of the aftermath were a time when Americans realized, like the passengers of American Flight 93, saying “No!” was the first step in confronting terrorism. Saying “No!” meant we rejected their fear of death and destruction. Saying “No!” meant we refused to cower to a group of people who kill indiscriminately.
As we approach the five-year anniversary of this tragic day, the recent foiled terror plot in Great Britain shows us that terrorists can be home-grown citizens from democracies with freedoms tantamount to the United States. Even though they have lived with freedom and have been given the opportunities that come with it, they have no care for innocent life because they believe fear is better than hope. And that is what makes them different than us.
Those who attacked us still remain at-large and must be brought to justice for their horrific crimes. I hope those who have lost a loved-one from the attacks have found peace and a way to cope with their unwanted pain and suffering. I hope Americans can stand together in support of hope and say “No!” to anyone who uses fear and the destruction it causes because hope can build a better tomorrow.
09-07-2006