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Thursday, September 11, 2003
State of uncertainty then and now
NEWS-JOURNAL EDITORIAL
At 8:46 a.m. two years ago, the first plane struck the north tower of the World Trade Center, stunning people worldwide. Within an hour, a second plane struck the south tower and a third plane struck the Pentagon. Then at 10:06 a.m., the last of the hijacked planes went down in rural Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh.
By then, the world was suspended in a state of disbelief and uncertainty. Nothing seemed real. Americans, for the first time since Pearl Harbor, had been attacked on their own territory. On that morning, some 3,000 people died – representing many nations.
Time passed slowly that day as we mourned the loss of lives and the loss of a feeling of security. And along Florida’s coastline, Tropical Storm Gabrielle poured her angry tears on dismal grounds.
Now two years have gone by. Our lives have been changed by this journey into uncharted territory. Our soldiers are engaged in unconventional wars on foreign grounds in Afghanistan and Iraq – the first a direct and unsuccessful attempt to capture Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader behind 9/11, and the latter a misguided missile that may have actually created more havens for terrorists.
In the guise of homeland security, our civil liberties are under assault, and yet we are not more secure than we were in 2001. Our intelligence agencies seem no better prepared to warn us of impending attacks.
Yet with all the ambiguity – and disagreements – regarding our resolve to fight terrorism, this is a day for memorials.
The 3,000 people who died in the 9/11 attacks are mourned not only by their families and friends today but also by people all over the world. So are those who died in the hours and days afterward, some in heroic acts to save others’ lives. We remember, too, those who survived the attacks and whose trauma we cannot even imagine.
Michael Paul Ragusa of Brooklyn is a representative of the many lives lost. A firefighter, he rushed to the World Trade Center on 9/11 to save lives but never returned. This week his parents buried all that remained of him – a vial of their son’s blood he had donated to a bone-marrow clinic.
Many have no remains to bury. The remains of only slightly more than half of the people lost in the New York attacks have been identified. And while the rebuilding is well under way at the site of the World Trade Center, body parts are still being found. A year ago, a woman’s pelvic bone was found in a building near the center. On Tuesday, human bones and tissues were found in the structure of the same building. The families who lost loved ones are still living in emotional turmoil.
Across the world today, moments of silence will occur keyed to the times of the attack. A ceremony will take place at the White House and at the Pentagon. In Pennsylvania, bells will toll at 10:06 a.m., beginning at the site of the crash in Somerset County. In Australia, 3,000 trees will be planted and 3,000 candles lighted in memory of the victims.
Memories linger for all of us. We still ache for a way to stop terrorism for all time, not only here but also in the Middle East, South America, India, England, Africa and more. We know we are in a new era of combat – if only we knew the rules.
We are two years past 9/11, but we are still in a state of uncertainty.
Special Report: TERRORISM AND AMERICA |  |