I think 9/11 means a lot of things to a lot of people. Regardless, I think we can all agree it's a day of remembrance. We will all remember the lives lost in the attacks and the sacrifice of the civil service individuals who rushed in when everyone else had to flee. As with the assassination of JFK, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Neil Armstrong's historic steps, and other moments in recent Amercian history, 9/11 is a day where we collectively will recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we got the first news. For many of us, we will remember the same moment when we were informed a loved one, friend, or colleague lost their life in the attacks either at the Trade Center, Pentagon, or in an ordinary commercial airline flight. Only later would it emerge that our pain was due to the actions of a fanatical religious group led by a CIA trained madman angry for his perception of our actions on a cold war era battleground and the lifestyle we project. None of that was relevant. Our nation was in shock. We were in mourning. We had a collective grieving period.
Strangely for me what stands out the most in my mind 7 years later is not so much the shock and horror of that day, but rather the way in which we immediately chose to deal with that. This national tragedy brought people together. Suddenly the differences didn't matter. For one brief shining moment, it didn't matter if you were Democrat or Republican, black or white, male or female, Jew, Christian or atheist. Because in that moment we all stood up as one brushed off the dust and proudly proclaimed "We are American".
The American flag sold out in record time across the country and stores were out of stock for weeks. We rallied behind the one thing that united us in ways that nothing else ever quite could in our nation. The flag wasn't a visual embodiment of a war cry, it wasn't our shield to cower behind, and it wasn't a political device to target people with. It was the blanket that kept us all together and its edges were wide. We were finally all one thing and one thing only. We were American.
The world watched with us as our nation bled live on television. Leaders of UK, France, Germany, Russia, Israel, Palestine, Libya, Japan, and many others all threw down the political difference to condemn the acts and offered the nation that had given so much to them throughout it's history their heartfelt condolences and assistance. Canada even opened its airports to help land hundreds of flights that had no where to go when our airspace closed. For one brief moment, even if in some small way, they were all American.
That unity and resolve those days of the attacks are what I will remember about that horrific day. It was a shining beacon of hope following a day of dread and pain. To this day video images of 9/11 still upset me as they do many of us I think. It has the power to touch a deep place in our hearts. The networks who banded together in an unprecedented move to share information and images, made yet another historic decision and collectively decided to let us morn by pulling that video from screens. We were shell shocked and seeing people die over and over could serve no purpose. Because as we watched together, mourned together, we would have to heal together. As Americans.
Today is the day to remember. Remember the thousands lost on 9/11 and what we became collectively in the moments following. We Americans don't like to feel helpless, but most of us could do nothing but watch. Those who could do something often gave their lives and continue to do so from related illness caused by exposure. In the end, we all did what we could do. Some of us volunteered, some of us donated blood, some of us prayed, and some of us wrote letters and offered financial support. Many showed up to local fire stations and police stations to bring offerings of thanks... or a simple hug. I witnessed this first hand a year later at a local fire station I was working at, a lady showed up in tears holding a huge Pyrex dish full of muffins she had made. She said she "didn't know what else to do" and collapsed in sorrow. That day we all did one thing that sometimes doesn't always come so easily. We all showed our pride each of us has in our nation.
We must remember all the victims. The ones who died on that day in September 7 years ago, and the ones who continue to suffer after giving of themselves as we all would have done. We must remember the bravery of the ordinary individual. We must remember the love and devotion of the world.
But above all we must remember... that we are Americans.
I don't really listen to the radio and hadn't noticed it on any shows I watch, just 
