An American Article Writer Pays Tribute To September 11 Heroes

It is about that moment when I have to dedicate some time to my blog and away from my long list of article writing clients. Yet, I was torn between two totally different options for my next blog post. One, I could write another informative article where I could share insightful tips and ideas on how to become a better article writer. Or two, let the American in me take over and display my talent as an American article writer paying homage to a day that should be commemorated by each and every American.

Seeing how we are already in September, I could not help but reminisce about one moment in modern day history which marked every single American living today. The day is in which we remember the date when our liberties were tested by unscrupulous evil people; a day in which America became one. September 11, 2001 marked us all. We all remember what we were doing on that fatal Tuesday morning. With such bright skies and balmy morning weather, no one would have even considered what was to befall. A group of  terrorists took it upon themselves to try to destroy a country. But what they did was UNITE a nation.

Never Forget!

I remember being left speechless when I heard the news. Yeah, can you picture a writer not having anything to say? Well, I can guarantee that day, very few people had anything to say. I recall watching news and seeing some broadcasters baffled and dumbfounded at what was unfolding before our eyes. My husband who was a comedic morning show man was left speechless. Everyone, and I mean, every American fell into profound disbelief. Was this really happening to us? It was… the land of the FREE, the home of the BRAVE was indeed vulnerable to such vicious attacks.

Since then, all of our lives were marked forever. My family had to suffer through the uncertainty of my baby brother being part of the War Against Terror, and being among the first marines to take over Baghdad. I remember that strange feeling, deep down in my stomach. I tried to remain strong for the well being of my mother and my sister. After all, I had gone to school to be a Journalist, and as a journalist you have to separate emotions. But believe it or not, when it comes down to your loved ones, or to tragedies like the one that led us to war, we Journalists are humans too.

Now, transporting myself back to that atrocious moment in history; I did not understand then but I can accept now, that all of a sudden I started to value even the smallest things in life. And I realized that there are too many things we often take for granted. I began to tell my mother and my loved ones how much I loved them every chance I got. I tried to implement more family time. Not everything in life should be work. After all, life is too short and we never know when our call will come. Sure, we all hope to see our children grow, our grandchildren born, but so did all the innocent victims of Sept. 11, 2001. Yet, their lives were cut short. Their plans destroyed and their families’ dreams abruptly shattered. Almost 3,000 men, women and children died; 2,977 to be exact, as a result of unmeasured hatred against the United States of America by a group of cruel extremists. And many more passed in the coming years, corollary of the fumes inhaled and injuries suffered on that day.

Tribute to the Heroes including; Rick Rescorla
"The Good American"

Now, even though time often heals wounds, time should not erase the scars. Americans everywhere can appreciate that, had it not been for the work of fellow reporters and article writers everywhere, that day would have faded into obscurity rather fast. And although in the beginning the constant bombardment of crude images confronted us with evil all too often, today we must embrace those images as an example of a suffering that brought a country together. Today, those of us who posses the art of writing and who have the power of the word, us American Writers, us Journalists, us Reporters, can remind every Tom, every Jim, every Mary, that on September 11, 2001 the Tom’s, Jim’s and Mary’s that died alongside Joe’s and Ann’s, and yes even Maria’s, Juan’s, or Abdul’s did so unknowingly; but died as a symbol of our freedoms. And how about the Rick Rescorla's of their companies. Rescorla was the head of security at Morgan Stanley and managed to get every employee out alive. Unsatisfied with getting his own employees to safety, Rick refused to abandon the tower without first going back for a second look. Rick was not able to get out. Rescorla did not die in Vietnam, but became another unspoken hero of September 11, 2001.

When referring to Sept. 11th, a lot of people make the mistake of also forgetting to acknowledge the bravery with which the passengers of Flight 93 fought against their adversaries. The men and women aboard the United Airlines plane which went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, ARE among those unspoken heroes. Thanks to their valor and sacrifice, many more American lives were spared. After all, it is uncertain where exactly Flight 93 was headed, many believe the capitol building. But the true American heroes of United 93 gave their life for the life of others. Today, the plans to remember our brothers and sisters aboard this treacherous flight are well on the way. Next year we will all be able to render tribute to these heroes by visiting the area where the plane fell where a national historic park is being built.


And we should not forget the first responders to all of the attack sites. The men and women in uniform, Police, Firefighters, Paramedics, whom as thousands were fleeing, were running into the face of evil. The people whose job is to save lives while risking their own. Time and time again, I have read stories of survivors cheering the firefighters on as they climbed the stairs inside the World Trade Center, oblivious to the fact that they might perish. But it was their job and they never faltered. In fact, some even captured the scene in photos. It is these still shots that speak for themselves about the bravery of our unspoken heroes of war.  

The victims of 9-11 are among the people we should remember when we sing Francis Scott Key’s lyrics in our national Anthem. And as Lee Greenwood would say “And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.” Let us NEVER forget the almost 3 thousand people who died that day. We should not become oblivious to the thousands of American soldiers who followed suit, for our freedom. Today, nine years later, an American writer like myself, has the obligation to remember those who gave their life for my freedom. And remind everyone that our liberties may be at stake, our lives may face adversity, but our pride should never falter.

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