A Tribute

This weekend, many memorial services were held all over to honor those murdered 5 years ago tomorrow. As many of you know, I live on Long Island, only 50 miles from "ground zero" and had my life personally touched. Tomorrow, I am taking the day off from work to remember my friends, but right now I would like to pay homage to a group of those that died that you never hear anything about. The youngest victims. The 8 children on two of the planes that fateful day.

On American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon:
Asia Cottom, Age 11
Bernard Brown, Age 11
Rodney Dickens, Age 11
Zoe Falkenberg, Age 8
Dana Falkenberg, Age 3

On United Airlines Flight 175 flown into the south tower
Juliana Valentine McCourt, Age 4
David Brandhorst, Age 3
Christine Hanson, Age 3

These children never got the opportunity to make a difference in this world. Perhaps one of them would have been a leader that ended war, or found a cure for cancer or even just lived a long and happy life. That was taken from them by those monsters and we will never know what was taken from us in the process.

I would also like to say something to those that have yet to die from those terror attacks. Those rescue and recovery workers who toiled for months on "the pile" to bring our loved ones out. And to those that provided food and comfort to those workers. Many of you are sick or are getting sick because of the air quality downtown. I am so sorry that so little has been done to help you these past 5 years. I am so sorry that your concerns have been ignored and now some of you may die. But I know some of you personally. I spoke to some of you as you were boarding busses into the city, I saw the need to be there burning in your eyes. I know for a fact, that had you known for certain how toxic that air was, it would not have deterred you from going. It was too important for you, you needed to bring your brothers and sisters out of that rubble and give their families closure. And you would have done so at any cost. You will always be remembered as true heroes to all of us. May God bless you and your families, and if you must leave us prematurely, may you do so with as little pain as possible. We will keep fighting for you to receive the medical care that you need and deserve.

 

(((((((Tegan))))))),

I think that in some ways today's anniversary is more difficult because the numbness has passed and the reality of permanence has set in.

 

Yes, it is a part of us forever.
(((((Hugs))))))

 

still makes me sad even to this day

 

I remember telling my kids, as I quit teaching math and turned on the classroom television, that they needed to watch and remember. They were seeing history, the end of something and the beginning of something. I told them that I didn't know why at the moment but what wound grow from it was more important than todays algebra lesson. I'm still convinced that historians will use it as a marker point for the end of an Era and the beginning of another.

 

I think you're right Freda, provided that the history books are written accurately. My daughter was only 6 that day, had just started her first week of 1st grade, so she was too little to understand what was happening (not that we adults could). In the following days, I journaled like mad, recording feelings and actual events and television coverages as well as eye witness accounts from those I knew who were there. I wanted to make sure I had an accurate accounting should my grandchilden's text books not be correct.

MSNBC ran the tape of the Today Show from that morning just this past week. It went from the time of the first plane at 8:46 to the reports of the 4th plane going down in PA. It amazed me how much detail I can recall all these years later.

Yes Jenni, it still makes me very sad too. So many of us have bumper stickers on our cars that read Never Forget, and I seriously doubt anyone will.

 

One wonders. I remember sitting in front of my television set with my mouth open, sections of the "Berlin Wall" falling and the USSR disintegrating. I thought at the time that I was watching history happening but today it's hardly mentioned.

 

Oooh, that was a great day. My best friend was there, she's originally from East Germany. It was so cool, but unfortunately it's the bad memories that tend to be the standouts.