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Returning to a September 10 world By Michael C. Guilmette Jr. Originally published on Sept. 10, 2009, in the Connersville News-Examiner. I do not recall much from this day eight years ago. I dare say many Americans probably do not have clear memories of Sept. 10, 2001. After all, it was just an ordinary day.
I know that I had returned to college as a non-traditional student working on my history degree, and I was back working for the school’s newspaper. But I remember next to no details from that day. I do not recall my classes, the newspaper’s staff meeting, who I encountered during the day or, for that matter, even the weather. The only thing I do have any memory of that day was my editor arguing with a pair of sorority girls outside the newsroom, but that’s about it. I remember the next day, however, with horrific clarity. Sept. 11, 2001, was a beautiful early fall day — a Tuesday — that started out normally enough. I had two classes that morning — European Geography and Russian History — and I had some jobs to do for the newspaper that afternoon. I had five things on my to-do list, and I remember thinking that if I got three of them done, it would have been a productive day. I had strolled into my first class about five minutes late — my professor didn’t like that, but that morning, he was otherwise occupied, complaining to the class about a tiff between the history and education departments at the school. I remember thinking that this sounded like a pretty good story. Little did I know, at that very moment, hundreds of my fellow Americans were burning to death in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. The first I heard anything about what was happening was the following hour in my Russian History class. My editor was also in that class, and I was looking forward to telling her about the story idea my professor had given me. She came to the class in a hurry uncharacteristic for even her, and in the space of 15 seconds, my story idea became absolutely worthless. The rest of that day was dizzying and surreal. We spent the bulk of our time rallying the newspaper staff into action in order to cover the local reaction. I was running much of that day, steno and pencil in hand, speaking to as many people I could to get comments for my article. I ran on adrenaline much of that day, and the full impact of the day did not settle in during those first hours. That would come in the following days, accompanied by the sadness and anger the attacks triggered. I remember wanting to punch out some punk in the dining hall wearing a T-shirt calling President George W. Bush an international terrorist. I remember the eerie feeling when I received a letter from the college informing veterans that we would still get credit for our classes in the event we were called up for combat. I also remember how close to home the situation became when our newspaper staff confirmed a suspected Afghani terrorist was captured at the border crossing in town trying to escape to Canada. Until that fateful day, I never truly grasped what the concept of a watershed event meant. The closest thing I had experienced in my life was the day in January 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger broke up during liftoff. I remember thinking how those who died before Sept. 11 were fortunate, as they would never know the horrors of that day. Seven months later, when my first niece was born, I was thankful she would only know of the attacks from history books, as was my knowledge of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the attack on Pearl Harbor. What I am concerned about now, however, is that my nieces may be faced with another terrible day. Country singer Darryl Worley asked in his 2003 hit song “Have You Forgotten” not only if we remember what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, but if we still have the resolve to pursue those responsible for bringing that horror to our doorsteps. Sadly, I believe much of the impact of that day may have waned. On one hand, that is not surprising. After all, who would really want to keep in mind the image of someone jumping from the 110th floor of Twin Towers? It’s only natural we would want to keep something more pleasant in mind. But on the other hand, allowing ourselves to return to a state of complacency because we have not been attacked since is a dangerous prospect. The 9/11 Commission report, released in 2004, made the stark point the terrorists had been at war with us long before the 2001 attacks, considering the U.S.S. Cole bombing in 2000, the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya in 1998 and the first attempt to topple the Twin Towers in 1993. Once rattled into action, President Bush spent all his political capital — and then some — ensuring we would not face another attack on our home soil and embarking on a war against terror across the planet. For eight years, this strategy has kept us safe. Now, however, we find ourselves in a time when the phrase “global war on terror” is openly shunned, our veterans who have fought the forces of terror are now eyed as potential terrorists themselves while terrorists on the battlefield are given Miranda rights, and we quibble about hurting the feelings of the monsters who would eagerly kill even our children. While we appear to retreat from destroying terrorism wherever it is found, I have little doubt the enemies of humanity and liberty are licking their sizeable wounds and attempting to regroup, preparing for a new opportunity to carry out genocide. By acting like today is Sept. 10, we may give them that chance. • Guilmette is managing editor of the News-Examiner. He may be contacted at mguilmette@newsexaminer.com. |
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Copyright © 2009, Michael C. Guilmette Jr. |
It was the last ordinary day we would have for quite some time.
