Memories and Lessons

The internet appears to be awash with people talking about 9/11. Either security warnings about possible anniversary attacks, people reminiscing their experiences, tribute videos, events honoring first responders/military, etc. I usually don’t put much stock in regular anniversaries for things like this, and while I think some people focus to much on 9/11, ten years later is an appropriate time to look back.

How was I affected by 9/11? In the long run, not very. I wasn’t there and knew no one who died. But that day I still remember. Similar to the Challenger explosion, which I was close enough to see and feel, some days stand out in your memory because of events. I had gone to an eye appointment that morning. As I arrived at the doctor’s office, the tv was showing the WTC and talking about how a plane had gone off course and crashed into one of the towers. At the time, it wasn’t clear that it was a huge passenger liner and it appeared to just be a mistake.

I went into my appointment thinking nothing different than you would about any regular plane crash. A tragedy, a momentary concern if anyone who know was flying that day, and then moving on. By the time I was done with the doctor, the second tower had been hit and it was clear that it was no accident. The first tower collapsed while I was driving home, listening on the radio. I don’t remember when I heard about the plane hitting the Pentagon, but I know that’s when my concern racketed up.

One of my uncle’s is in the Army and worked in the Pentagon at that time. Even though I’m really that close with my extended family, he was family and the event went from distant, to hitting close to home. I had recently read Tom Clancy’s Sum of All Fears which ends with a mad man flying a plane into a joint session of Congress. In addition to worry about my uncle, the world of fantasy and reality were starting to mingle. That’s never a comforting feeling, when the fantasy is horrible events like that.

I don’t remember if I had any classes that day, but I did have to work. I went to my crappy job at Cracker Barrel where I worked a cash register. I remember feeling cut off, as I had been able to follow the news via tv, radio or internet all day before that. My Mom finally called to report that my uncle was alive and unhurt. He apparently had been very close. The office across the hall from his was gone and it was only throwing himself under his desk that saved him.

After work, I didn’t want to go home to an empty house, so went by my girlfriend’s (now wife) dorm and insisted that she come with me. At the time, we weren’t regularly staying at each others places but I did not want to be alone that night. Classes might have been canceled the next day, I can’t remember for sure. The football game that weekend was definitely canceled. I remember thinking, that had the terrorists really wanted a blood bath, they could have struck the Swamp on game day, as it held 100,000 people in a very small area.

I remember hoping that some good would come from the tragedy. It was an opportunity for international unity and for America to stand up and show that we could not be pushed around. An opportunity to show that America was the enlightened country we pretend to be. It could have been used to decry violence and revenge if we had tempered our response. Instead, we invaded two countries. You could make the argument for Afghanistan being necessary. At the time, I would have agreed with you and would have a hard time arguing against it now. But Iraq was unnecessary and just dishonored the dead.

Within the country, the backlash against Islam has been building slowly. There are a lot of hateful people out there that aren’t being told to shut-up. The GOP presidential candidates are full of bigotry and hate. There are very vocal groups of people who support this. Even if these people don’t win, the fact that they are considered as serious candidates is just as much of a problem.

The terrorist attacks on 9/11 were a tragedy that cost the lives of thousands. But the bigger tragedy was our collective response. 9/11 should stand as a beacon to what hate and religious zealotry can cause. Religious extremism brought these people to commit a terrible act. You don’t fight that sort of extremism with hate and more extremism.

The operation to take down Osama Bin Laden was how we should have responded to 9/11. A careful, surgical strike against people directly involved. It took time, but when we found him, there were no collateral damage. A vast intelligence network and a couple dozen special forces was all that was needed. Not an invading army of thousands.

So, on the ten year anniversary of 9/11, look back and think about where we were as a country, and where we are now. Did we learn the right lesson from that tragedy? Did we look past our fear and find peace, or did we let fear turn into hatred?