And The Eagle Will Fly
posted by Tygrrius @ 12:09 AM
This space normally deals with fictional heroes, but today my thoughts are with real-life heroes.
Heroes, like the 343 firefighters and 60 law enforcement officials who gave their lives while saving others when the World Trade Center’s twin towers came crashing down five years ago today.
Heroes, like countless civilians from that same day who stayed in the buildings to help others flee. Their lives and their deeds may have been lost to history, but the spirit of their heroism is still with us.
At least 2,749 people were killed that day in New York City alone. In Virginia, another 184 people were killed in the attack on the Pentagon. The numbers are truly beyond comprehension.
The true legacy of the firefighter, law enforcement, and civilian heroes, though, is that at least 15,000 people who were in the buildings during the attacks survived.
A day for heroes
September 11, 2001, was a day that showed us the worst . . . and the best of humanity.
Over Pennsylvania, aware of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the 40 passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 became heroes by determining their own destinies and refusing to be used as weapons.
Though they lost their lives, their efforts prevented the fourth hijacked plane from crashing into either the White House or the US Capitol building, saving countless other lives and sparing the nation even more pain.
For all of these heroes, September 11 began like any other day—just as it did for the rest of us. Unlike us, they would not return home that day.
The heroes stopped the most horrible day in this generation’s history from becoming even worse. In the darkness of that tragic day, the heroes brought us light.
The day before
Like November 21, 1963, or December 6, 1941, the innocence of September 10, 2001, will never return. It is a time forever gone. We can never go back, but we can move forward from here.
It took tragedy to bring a divided nation together. Sadly, America is dividing again. If we are to succeed, all of us must work together and learn not only from yesterday’s heroes but today’s heroes as well.
Today's heroes
For not all heroes were lost that day. There are still heroes, like the ones who go to Iraq, Afghanistan, or other theaters in the War on Terror—leaving behind their family, friends, and the comforts of their homes for a nobler cause, to defend not only our way of life but our very lives themselves.
We complain about our jobs, while they are in the middle of a desert with the constant threat of being killed at any moment.
We worry about seeing the latest movie or the picture quality on the latest DVD, while they worry about when or if they will get to see their families again.
And let’s not forget, their families, the ones they must leave behind, are heroes, too.
They are better than I, these noble warriors, and they are also the real heroes who deserve our attention and gratitude. And not only on days like September 11 or November 11, but every day.
Precious gifts
All too often, we forget how precious and fragile our way of life actually is. There are those who would destroy it, but we must stand strong. We can remember the heroes, but to truly honor them, we must unite again.
To the heroes, you are remembered.
Each time we enjoy freedom, you are remembered.
Each time we ponder our own futures, you are remembered.
You gave us that freedom.
You gave us those futures.
Now, it is up to us to use those gifts.
Heroes, like the 343 firefighters and 60 law enforcement officials who gave their lives while saving others when the World Trade Center’s twin towers came crashing down five years ago today.
Heroes, like countless civilians from that same day who stayed in the buildings to help others flee. Their lives and their deeds may have been lost to history, but the spirit of their heroism is still with us.
At least 2,749 people were killed that day in New York City alone. In Virginia, another 184 people were killed in the attack on the Pentagon. The numbers are truly beyond comprehension.
The true legacy of the firefighter, law enforcement, and civilian heroes, though, is that at least 15,000 people who were in the buildings during the attacks survived.
A day for heroes
September 11, 2001, was a day that showed us the worst . . . and the best of humanity.
Over Pennsylvania, aware of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the 40 passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 became heroes by determining their own destinies and refusing to be used as weapons.
Though they lost their lives, their efforts prevented the fourth hijacked plane from crashing into either the White House or the US Capitol building, saving countless other lives and sparing the nation even more pain.
For all of these heroes, September 11 began like any other day—just as it did for the rest of us. Unlike us, they would not return home that day.
The heroes stopped the most horrible day in this generation’s history from becoming even worse. In the darkness of that tragic day, the heroes brought us light.
The day before
Like November 21, 1963, or December 6, 1941, the innocence of September 10, 2001, will never return. It is a time forever gone. We can never go back, but we can move forward from here.
It took tragedy to bring a divided nation together. Sadly, America is dividing again. If we are to succeed, all of us must work together and learn not only from yesterday’s heroes but today’s heroes as well.
Today's heroes
For not all heroes were lost that day. There are still heroes, like the ones who go to Iraq, Afghanistan, or other theaters in the War on Terror—leaving behind their family, friends, and the comforts of their homes for a nobler cause, to defend not only our way of life but our very lives themselves.
We complain about our jobs, while they are in the middle of a desert with the constant threat of being killed at any moment.
We worry about seeing the latest movie or the picture quality on the latest DVD, while they worry about when or if they will get to see their families again.
And let’s not forget, their families, the ones they must leave behind, are heroes, too.
They are better than I, these noble warriors, and they are also the real heroes who deserve our attention and gratitude. And not only on days like September 11 or November 11, but every day.
Precious gifts
All too often, we forget how precious and fragile our way of life actually is. There are those who would destroy it, but we must stand strong. We can remember the heroes, but to truly honor them, we must unite again.
To the heroes, you are remembered.
Each time we enjoy freedom, you are remembered.
Each time we ponder our own futures, you are remembered.
You gave us that freedom.
You gave us those futures.
Now, it is up to us to use those gifts.
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