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2002-05-08

A Day A Day of Erased Lines

Before September 11, 2001 most workers would enter their offices and give those around them a quick smile or nod. Maybe a ?Hey?, ?How are you doing? or ?Hello? but they would never stop and wait for the response.
This all changed on Wednesday September 12, 2001. What brought about this change? Was it a joyous occasion, a wonder of nature? No it was when terrorists executed a long planned attack on American soil. While we were going about our everyday activities, planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a field in Pennsylvania. The planes were used as bombs to destroy the buildings, to kill thousands of innocent people and divide us as a people and Nation. Their plan succeeded in destroying the buildings, but instead of dividing us, brought us together like no other time in history.
The first plane, Flight 11, crashed into the World Trade Center tower one at 8:47am, not even thirty minutes later, the second plane, Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center tower two at 9:02. To most Americans the World Trade Center represents the broad financial power that America has achieved. It was built on the principles of the American dream; hard work and capitalism; it was built by all types of people from all walks of life. It shows prosperity to the rest of the world.
Minoru Yamasaki, a second generation Japanese American came to New York in the 1950's to design the towers. Construction began in 1966. At first many Americans did not like the idea of having 110 story buildings but with time they grew to love and cherish them for what they represented. However these buildings did not stand long on Tuesday, for at 9:50am, after two hundred firefighters arrived to rescue those caught in the towers, tower two collapsed. Then, at 10:28, tower one collapsed. No words describe what we had seen. For me I can say the event seemed surreal, chatter was replaced with gasps for air and tears as the world stood still to watch. But James Nachtwey a professional photographer may have said it best " We have now seen a part of the world in a way it never was."
During the entire disaster taking place in New York, another part of America was under attack as well. Hundreds of miles from New York, but seemingly in our backyard Flight 77 at 9:41 am struck the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. The Pentagon, which can be described as the great security blanket was the headquarters for all sectors of the military and CIA. It was built in 1943, and was said to be indestructible. When the plane crashed into the building, we saw that even though the building sustained some damage it held up to its reputation. People were killed, and part of the building was destroyed, but it was far from catastrophic.
Perhaps the people that gave the most were not even in New York or Washington, but in Shanks Ville, PA. It was here that the fourth plane Flight 93 was brought to the ground in a violent struggle as four heroes, Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham, Todd Beamer, and Thomas Burnett, all from different social classes, and unknown others gave their lives for their family and country ?I know we?re going to die. There?s three of us who are going to do something about it.? These were the words of Thomas Burnett in a last minute phone call to his wife. Because of these heroes?s thousands of people they had never met got to go home to their families. We will never know the intended target of this plane, but thanks to the people on that flight the terrorist?s plan was not carried out.
So what happened after these attacks? Were these attacks directed at one type of social class, gender or race? I think not! They were directed at Americans and our way of life. Although we can disagree with one another we are all Americans. Who came to the rescue? No, not Superman, but Americans. Men and women risked their lives to help evacuate the buildings, put out the fires, and help the injured, or just be there to support each other.
The reason I call this paper The Day of Erased Lines, is because Americans were willing to help each other. There was no social order, racial lines, or gender gaps. Just Americans. What had happened affected everyone.
September 11, 2001 turned into the "Great Equalizer". Americans were helping each other in all sorts of ways. By donating blood, money, food, clothing or helping with the rescue at ?ground zero.? People from all walks of life were there to lend a helping hand.
America was founded as one nation of freedom and liberty for all. This tragedy may have helped us regain our common bond. We are Americans and are equal despite our differences in class, race or gender.
That one-day blurred the social lines that are sometimes set. It was the blue collared workers who rushed in to save the white-collared workers, the middle class who gave as much money as they could to benefit families from the upper class. Rudolph Guliani put it best when he said ?We have met the worst in humanity with the best in humanity?. Due to the courage and selflessness, 25,000 lives were saved that day. Lets continue to change America through selflessness. The benefits of helping others cannot be measured in dollars and cents.
This tragedy made me realize how important it is to treat everyone with respect, tolerance and love.