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Where were you when you heard the terrible news?
Most of us in Hawaii were asleep when hijackers crashed passenger jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, 2001. The first plane struck the North Tower at 2:45 am HST.
Some of us have been woken up by frantic phone calls. “Turn on the TV, we are under attack!” “ This is how we learned of the ongoing disaster. By this time, both towers had collapsed and another hijacked plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. The news hit like a punch in the guts.
Along with the rest of the world, we watched the gruesome images replay over and over again. Images of jets flying through the towers and then of those towers collapsing were so sickening that it was hard to look away. Anger over the heinous acts has been tempered by overwhelming sorrow for the innocent lives lost and families left behind. America felt immense pride in the heroes who responded to the crisis with so much bravery and selflessness.
A total of 2,996 people died in the attacks, including more than 400 first responders. Many more are putting their future health at risk to mount rescue and recovery efforts amid a dangerous haze of smoke and sprayed construction materials. We have learned that the passengers of United Flight 93 fought the hijackers, heroically sacrificing their lives to prevent the plane from being used against another target, apparently the United States Capitol.
Americans have shown the world that we can fold, but we don’t. The attacks brought the citizens and supporters of this country closer than they had possibly been since the end of World War II. There was a pervasive sense of wanting to do something positive for each other and for our hurt nation.
The feelings ran around the world. Enemies and allies rallied behind the United States. The French newspaper Le Monde printed its famous title, “We are all Americans. “
What happened? In too many minds, the collective attitude of “we are all in there” became “My side is all that matters. “ The global pandemic seemed to be the next crisis to link the divisions in our population. Haven’t we all faced a common threat and shared a common goal?
Instead, almost party-wise, there are divisions over vaccines, masks, and security warrants. To hell with science, the coronavirus has become political football.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, let us hope that all parties unite in honoring those killed and left behind. We offer our thanks and condolences to the men and women of duty who rushed into the breach. In the midst of the horror, they gave us all something to rally around.
Where were you when the Americans became one?
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