tp21.xml

tp21.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-02-24

"9-11 Submission","A Day Unlike Any Other

It was the best of days, it was the worst of days. It was a day which dawned
under a brilliant blue sky, so bright and clear that it stretched to the
heavens, it was a day which ended with a setting sun choked by a noxious,
swirling cloud of ash and smoke emanating from the very depths of hell. It
was a day when all that is wrong with humanity was torn open for all to see,
it was a day when all that is right with humanity was laid open for all to
see. It was a day when the best among us were lost, it was a day when the
best in us was reclaimed. It was a day when buildings crumbled, it was a day
when a people rose.

It was a day of bottomless pain and anguish, it was a day of insurmountable
courage and fortitude. It was a day where the soulless hatred of the few was
no match for the selfless love of the many. It was a day in which those we
had so long taken for granted gained their rightful due. It was a day in
which families were ripped apart, it was a day when a nation was bound
together.

It was a day that for all those who lived through it will serve as a
milestone in time, all that was before and all that came after clearly marked
for the rest of their lives. It was a day when images of such horror were
burned into the souls of all those who bore witness that we not only wish not
to remember, we fear remembering them. It was a day of images burned into our
souls of such importance that we can never permit ourselves to forget.

It was a day unlike any other.