Blog: Coming Together on September 11
Washington,
Sep 11, 2008 -
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As I turned on the television this morning, I saw pictures of American flags and heard strands of “God Bless America.” I listened to parts of the solemn reading of the names of the almost 3,000 victims of the attacks. And, I watched the rare pictures of the actual attacks themselves, played just once a year on too few stations.
Here in Washington, DC, a new corner was turned today - the dedication of the Pentagon Memorial, commemorating the 184 lives that were lost at that site and on American Airlines Flight 77. The memorial is stunning, a tremendous and moving tribute to the individuals - ages 3 to 71 – who lost their lives that Tuesday morning. It is a day filled with a lot of meaning for their families, who have worked tirelessly to make this memorial a reality. And, it will be a place for the rest of us to come and reflect, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In New York City, today is the last day for the families of the victims to make their way down to the site and touch the ground where the towers stood. Next year, the construction of the World Trade Center memorial will prevent what has become a yearly ritual from taking place. Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama will take a break from the campaign trail and come together at this place in solemn remembrance.
All too often, during the rest of the year, talking about September 11 has taken on political connotations. It has sadly become a tool for partisan attacks and differences and what separates left from right. This is truly unfortunate - we should instead be able to remember, as a nation, a day that shattered the security of our borders and took the lives of so many. We should be able to pay tribute to those brave men and women – our first responders, our military, and our citizens – who rose to defend us. And, we should be able to recognize the evil in this world that, on that clear morning, acted to take away everything for which this country stands.
I hope you take a moment today to truly remember those individuals who were lost seven years ago and the unimaginable grief their loved ones face living every day since without them. And, perhaps most of all, I hope that at least for today, we can come together as Americans – whether on the steps of the Capitol or on the streets of our hometowns, as did we seven years ago.
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