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story3442.xml

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2002-09-11

I had been instrumental in establishing a new tradition for our church, First United Methodist Church of Hampton; a memorial service to reflect on the losses endured by our congregation during the past 12 months. The first of these services was on All Saints Day, the first Sunday of November in 2000; just a few weeks after the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole which caused the loss of 17 American sailors. That November afternoon, as the organist played "Eternal Father, Strong To Save", I read the names of the 17 sailors from the Cole. In September 2001, as my wife & I prepared to go out of state for vacation, I stopped by the church to deliver something for the secretary. As I drove away from the church, I heard the news on the radio that later in the week, the USS Cole would be moved out of the drydock where it was undergoing repairs, and would soon float again for the first time in nearly a year. I remember thinging to myself, "That is one less unpleasant task to do in this year's memorial service". Just a few hours later I was proven wrong.

My first information about the attacks, again came via radio when I heard Presifent Bush say that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center towers. He, at that time, did not indicate any connection between this event and terrorists. At first I thought this was the result of a mid-air collision of two airliners and that they then crashed into the towers...it was not possible for me to believe that anyone could be so hearless, so cold, so uncaring as to do such deliberately.

Today, on the first anniversary of this national tragedy, I feel our nation has lost its "innocence". The second stanza of "America The Beautiful" includes the words: "Thine alibaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears"...those words no longer are true...our cities have been dimmed by human tears as the result of inhumanity.