nmah1276.xml

nmah1276.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-06

I was on the other side of the country, so it was very early. I was awakened by a phone call from my brother, back east, who is a firefighter. He told me to get the kids up so he could talk to them very quickly before he headed to the site. I was heartbroken that he was taking such a risk, but I knew in a way that I could never explain that this was his duty. It was something he MUST do. For 8 very long days, we struggled to continue on with our lives, as close to normal as possible, but still keeping our eyes and ears on the t.v., trying not to let reality set in. After finally hearing that he was, physically, okay, we cried and breathed huge sighs of relief, only to find out that many of his "brothers" were NOT okay. We cried more for their families. September 11 was a nightmare for me.

Absolutely! But not in a fearful way. I am more proud of the people in this country than I ever was! I can no longer listen to patriotic songs without getting that lump in the throat. That's pride. I can no longer drive down the street and NOT notice the hundreds of flags between home and my destination. That's pride! I teach my children to be tolerant, and, most importantly, respectful of others' feelings, opinions and religious beliefs. Hatred breeds hatred, and by God, that's the LAST thing I want my kids to grow up doing!

I feel the terrorist acts themselves should be remembered, but only on the level that it will help us to remember that we are still vulnerable as a nation, and bad things can still happen. However, I feel the MOST IMPORTANT thing that should always, ALWAYS be remembered, is not necessarily what took place on September 11, but in the days following. The human spirit: through fear, denial, grief and mourning; soon to be replaced by anger, pride, and most sacred of all: HOPE! We still have hope and as long as we hang onto that, no matter what terrorists decide to do, we will overcome, rise above and prove that although evil exists, HOPE will always be stronger!

Absolutely! My feelings have not really changed since I am a child of an American Veteran. I was raised to respect it and to show my pride in it whenever I could. Nothing could better represent our freedom than that three-color material! We have not taken that flag down since September 11. Long may it wave!!