It also , to me, represents those who were lost and the untimely journey they were forced to take - heavenward.
I listen to all the remembrances of that day. I have my own, though hardly dramatic. I am reminded of the heroics preformed, of which the NYFD as a group and Todd Beamer as an individual have become the iconic symbols. As the years have passed I also add our men and women in uniform, making a trilogy. The sacrifices they have made after the fact are still being made to this day.
But whatever happened to America? Remember how the country pulled together? Congress, as one, singing 'God Bless America' on the steps of the Capitol?
There was a bit of governmental arrogance that allowed 9/11 to happen. Those owners of private flight schools who tried to report questionable students who were ignored. Security agencies who wouldn't share information and sources. Then all of a sudden it all came together.
Then, as time passed, the objective of justice became muddied. We expanded our horizons beyond 9/11 and created a monster that still has us in it's clutches. Add to that totally unrelated circumstances, we've become a nation divided on just about everything. Just look at Congress and the administration. They're going at one another like banshees. It's time for it to stop.
So why is this anniversary so timely? Because it is as vivid a reminder as we can get as to just what and who Americans are. Those fireman would still have rushed into the inferno whether or not they had been members of a union. Those young men and women offered themselves up for combat because they believed in our country and what we're supposed to represent.
Todd Beamer and those who were with him represent the selflessness of Americans as a whole. I see it on a daily basis in our community. Simple things in comparison, perhaps. Like the community coming forward to buy a new bike for a youngster who had his stolen the very day he bought it. Small. Yes. But selfless. That's who the true people American people are.
On this anniversary of 9/11 perhaps it's time for the government to be more reflective of the people it represents rather than the other way around. Look at those beacons. Shining brightly for the world to see. We rose from the rubble. We're here. We shall persevere. Don't ever, ever doubt it.
