Because We Are Americans

by Jesse Kornbluth

  All five days they walked with their mom after she got off work. They didn’t put a price on their baked goodies, but asked for a donation to help the people of the New York City terrorist attacks. To their delight they have collected $400, which will all go to the Red Cross.

  This makes me so proud to be an American, and to see how in this time of mourning there are little shining lights that give us hope of better things to come.

  “Bear one another’s burdens.”

  —GALATIONS 6:2

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/12/2001 1:10 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: PRAYERS FROM A 6-YEAR-OLD

  Yesterday I had to sit my six-year-old down and explain to her the horrible attack that occurred. We cried together as we watched the TV.

  Last night as I walked past her bedroom door, I saw her praying the best she knew how—she asked God to take care of the people who are coming to live with him, and to send blessings to the people who lost someone they love.

  I can only hope the prayers of a little girl are heard in the hearts of all the families and friends of people who were lost in this tragedy.

  “Even in the darkest of times we have the right to expect some illumination, and that such illumination may come less from theories and concepts than from the uncertain, flickering, and often weak light that some men and women, in their lives and work, will kindle under almost all circumstances and shed over the time-span that was given them on earth.”

  —HANNAH ARENDT, Men in Dark Times, 1968

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 11:39 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: ONE PERSON DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

  A radio station that was planning to do a concert ticket giveaway on September 12 patriotically decided that an auction to raise money for the Red Cross would be best.

  First thing that morning a seven-year-old named Dylan called in and gave $50. The Red Cross and the morning hosts thought that was such a kind thing for a young child to do that they helped out by digging out $20 of their own pockets to make his bid in the auction $70.

  This started a chain reaction of callers donating to Dylan’s bid, which quickly became “The Dylan Fund for Red Cross.” By midmorning the station had to direct people to call direct to the local Red Cross center and tell them it was for the Dylan Donation.

  There were so many blessed hearts in and around Roanoke, Virginia, that they soon had collected over $50,000 for the Dylan Donation to Red Cross. All day there were businesses calling and challenging other businesses; professional individuals donating thousands and challenging other individuals in the same profession.

  That day alone, due to that one little boy, I heard and witnessed more heroic efforts than I have seen in my entire 33 years of life!

  “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

  —RALPH WALDO EMERSON

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/15/2001 7:32 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: PAY IT FORWARD

  My cousin had a very interesting experience . . . She was a block south from the south tower when the second plane flew over her head and hit the building. She experienced the terror and horror of that morning like thousands of others in lower Manhattan, but was unhurt.

  Somehow she got to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge with no way of getting home to Queens. She stopped a motorist and asked where he was going. He said Bensonhurst. Still far from home but close enough, so she took the ride.

  He drove her practically all the way home, a good five miles past Bensonhurst. He was willing to drive her to her doorstep, but a bridge they had to cross was closed except to residents. This kind and brave man did this when no one knew what was going on, everyone was afraid, things were chaotic, and everyone just wanted to be safely at home.

  When my cousin was getting out of the car, she asked for his address so she could send him something to thank him. He simply said, “Pay it forward.”

  If you are not familiar with this expression, it means “Don’t pay me back, pay it forward, by doing something good for someone else.”

  “I saw a group of doctors and nurses who drove all the way up from Kentucky to bring us six bins of gloves and medical supplies.”

  —VOLUNTEER AT ONE OF THE MANY DROP-OFF POINTS IN MANHATTAN, The New York Times 9/14/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 1:36 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: 5 OR 6 BLOCKS AWAY

  I was in my car heading to work when, right in front of me, the first plane crashed into the North Tower. It took a few seconds for it to register, but then I pulled over and got out of my car. There was a huge billow of gray smoke pouring out of this gaping hole near the top of the building.

  I tried calling my office from my cell phone, but my service was dead. I walked around the corner, found a pay phone, and called them. I told them I just saw a plane crash into the WTC and wasn’t going to be on our 9:00 AM conference call. (How such a trivial thing was going through my mind, I will never know!)

  I hung up and started walking back to my car when I heard a loud explosion. I ran around the corner to see the second tower on fire. Debris was falling everywhere. People were pointing and gasping as they stared in amazement. I grabbed my disposable camera out of my purse (I always carry one for work purposes) and took a few pictures. It still hadn’t really registered what was happening. Then I noticed that some of the “debris” was actually people jumping from the North Tower. I started to get nauseous and turned away.

  It was then that I saw a woman in a zombie-like state, walking down the street with blood on her face and shirt. I went to her and asked if she was okay. She was sobbing and kept repeating that she needed to get out of there. I volunteered to drive her to the hospital and walked her back to my car. On the way, she told me how she had been sitting right outside, eating breakfast, when the first plane crashed. She had been hit by the falling debris and glass.

  This young woman worked in the WTC and is originally from Hong Kong. She kept asking herself why she came to New York. Her injuries were minor, but she needed to have some glass removed from her arms. I dropped her off at St. Vincent’s, where medical workers were lining the streets with stretchers. I then drove to the Upper West Side to get as far away from the madness as possible.

  I pray for those missing loved ones and pledge to stand strong with the rest of the nation in the face of this tragedy. God Bless America.

  “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

  —JOHN WESLEY, Letters, Rule of Conduct

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 12:33 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: CHILDREN REACHING OUT TO HELP

  My children, ages 17, 12, and 10, came to me and said, “Mom, how can we help? What can we do to help out?”

  I told them we could have a lemonade and cookie stand or maybe a car wash and try and raise some money and send it to the Red Cross. They went to their friends and asked to help. We went out on the street corner with flags and signs and determination to help someone in need.

  With lots of shouting and waving signs and American flags, we were able to raise $350 in two hours. It is amazing how the community of Fullerton, California, donated from their hearts. Not even knowing who we were, they were willing to give cash donations so freely.

  That is what I see happening all over. It is too bad it takes a trauma with such magnitude to unite our people. I am very touched and saddened by what has happened. It is hard to go about your daily activities when we are all being affected one way or another. It is so terrible what these families are going through. If everyone stops and thinks about how they can help . . .

  “Next thing you know we were bombarded with goods. There were women with babies in the car, guys with construction trucks. We trucked 30,000 pounds of gloves, underwear, masks, food, and drinks.”

  —A LONG ISLAND MOVING COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE WHO OFFERED ON THE RADIO TO
BRING SUPPLIES INTO MANHATTAN, Newsday 9/17/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 8:01 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: GROUND ZERO VOLUNTEER

  I have been a volunteer for two days at Ground Zero, bringing supplies to the workers involved in the rescue attempts. Words can’t describe the way it really looks there. The news media is not allowed within about five blocks, so those pictures don’t show the true Ground Zero. The closest thing to describe it is that it’s like the ride Earthquake in Universal Studios.

  The reason people are being kept away from the sight is simple. At one point while I was there they had to evacuate because another building they know is unstable was thought to be falling down. There is no reason for more lives to be lost in this tragedy.

  At this time no more volunteers or donations (except respirator masks and monetary donations) are needed. As one example, there are currently over 6 million gallons of water. Volunteers and donations will be needed again in the future, so please be ready when the call goes out.

  If you feel you must do something now, there are hundreds of people waving flags and saying thank you to the workers as they leave Ground Zero. After all the devastation and sadness, seeing the thanks and patriotism is a very uplifting feeling. Please join them if you are in the New York area and want to help. They are some of the most unknown helpers at the sight but truly a very big help.

  “It’s just one minor thing that maybe us football guys could do to help.”

  —JOE PATROVICH, ISLIP FOOTBALL COACH, ON THE SIX CASES OF WATER, 43 CASES OF SPORTS DRINKS, AND 18 COOLERS FILLED WITH ICE AND GATORADE THAT THE SUFFOLK COUNTY FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION HAD COLLECTED FOR THE RESCUE WORKERS, Newsday 9/13/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/19/2001 11:11 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: LEMONADE AND HAIR BARRETTES

  My granddaughter’s babysitter and the children she cares for had a lemonade stand and raised $82. She also made hair barrettes and ribbons in red, white, and blue and raised over $300. She had our local fire department pick the money up to donate to New York. They came in their truck so the little guys could sit in it and learn what our firefighters do for us.

  Not only did she raise money so desperately needed, she taught the kids about love and helping those in need.

  “We helped ourselves to everything we could carry out of this commercial equipment store: cases of gloves, masks, crowbars, pails, and respirators, without a thought of paying for it. The shop owner helped us load it and proudly waved as we drive off.”

  —VOLUNTEER RESCUE WORKER, Salon.com 9/19/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/19/2001 9:18 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: MCDONALDS—I HAD AN IDEA!

  I work at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania. I was up top in the drive-through (where we take the orders and ring them in) and a man came through with an order that was about $7.

  When I went to give this man his change, he looked at me and said, “Put the change in your Red Cross fund.”

  We didn’t have one, so I decided to start my own. But the thing is . . . he gave me a twenty-dollar bill! So whoever this mysterious man is, thank you for starting us out with $13, because at the end of the day, we had around $90! And that is only one day!

  I also decided to light candles at McDonalds. All the cars came by and waved and honked their horns and beeped, and some people even had a candle lit in their car! Others who were not allowed to light candles were holding flashlights!

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/14/2001 7:16 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: HOW I AM HELPING

  Eighth-graders in a small town in New York are doing a fundraiser . . . selling red, white, and blue ribbons for a dollar each. There are less than 100 kids in each grade and in two grades in two days we have made over $500. I think that is a huge accomplishment . . . I am not bragging; I want to share the idea so people can start something in their own communities.

  RESILIENT

  “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but rather where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

  —MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., Strength to Love

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/17/2001 9:43 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: LADY LIBERTY . . . A RAISED FIST OF DEFIANCE

  I stand here in New York Harbor . . . the smoldering ruins a backdrop to my world stage. My arm is raised high . . . the lamp in my grasp a symbol and beacon of hope to all who came . . . and still come . . . to my shores, seeking refuge and freedom.

  Today it is more than that. Today my arm is a raised fist. A show of defiance. You came to my shores thinking you would destroy me . . . break me, humble me. You thought wrong.

  You murdered some of my children . . . but you did not kill my soul.

  You destroyed my buildings . . . but not my spirit.

  You robbed me of my security . . . but you did not steal my will.

  I am America. I was born amidst valor, sacrifice, fire and blood. I have survived much . . . and I will survive you. I do not bow to tyrants nor cater to cowards. Like a phoenix from the ashes I will rise from the ruins that you left behind. Bigger . . . better . . . stronger . . . more powerful than I ever have been before.

  So still I stand . . . . .battered but not broken . . . .arm raised high.

  “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

  —CONFUCIUS

  FROM AN AOL POST FROM A 17-YEAR-OLD, 9/13/2001 10:24 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: MY POEM AND MESSAGE FOR AMERICA

  God bless America

  We will not crumble

  We will not become ashes

  We will not be defeated

  We will rise like lanterns

  We are the land of the free

  And the home of the brave

  God holds our quivering country

  In the calmness of his arms

  “You have to go and participate in the good things.”

  —MAYOR RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI, 9/17/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST FROM AN 18-YEAR-OLD, 9/17/2001 3:45 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: THEY HIT THE BUILDINGS, BUT MISSED AMERICA

  An open letter to a terrorist:

  Well, you hit the World Trade Center, but you missed America. You hit the Pentagon, but you missed America. You used helpless American bodies to take out other American bodies, but like a poor marksman, you STILL missed America.

  Why? Because of something you guys will never understand. America isn’t about a building or two, not about financial centers, not about military centers, America isn’t about a place, and America isn’t even about a bunch of bodies. America is about an IDEA. An idea that you can go someplace where you can earn as much as you can figure out how to, live for the most part like you envisioned living, and pursue happiness. (No guarantees that you’ll reach it, but you can sure try!)

  You guys seem to be incapable of understanding that we don’t live in America, America lives in US! American Spirit is what it’s called. And killing a few thousand of us, or a few million of us, won’t change it. Most of the time, it’s a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of spirit. Until we’re crossed in a cowardly manner—then it becomes an entirely different kind of spirit.

  Wait until you see what we do with that spirit this time.

  “It is such a privilege for us to perform for you tonight and to see you make a choice to come out, to laugh and most importantly to carry on and not be ruled by fear. Together we are all going to get through this and we are going to be OK.”

  —VALERIE HARPER, ADDRESSING AUDIENCES FOR THE BROADWAY COMEDY The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Salon.com 9/17/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 5:28 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: STRONGER THAN YOU’LL EVER KNOW

  The beautiful country of America and its loyal citizens are stronger than anyone will ever know or realize. People have tried and will probably continue to try to knock our esteem and our power down, but no one has succeeded yet, and no one ever shall.

  This week terrorists have only reminded us once a
gain what living in America really means . . . standing by one another, respecting everyone in a time of need, and staying loyal to our country.

  “Before a catastrophe, we can’t imagine coping with the burdens that might confront us in a dire moment. Then, when that moment arrives, we suddenly find that we have resources inside us that we knew nothing about. What I’ve discovered is that we are able—all of us—to do much more than we think we can. Just look at me.”

  —CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ON BEARING UP UNDER DURESS, U.K. Telegraph 9/27/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 2:29 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: SCARED SILLY BUT STILL STRONG!

  I’m 13, and when I heard about what happened in my 2nd period math class, I freaked. I live in Natick, Massachusetts, which has the 4th best Army labs in the whole country, so you can tell a lot of us kids were afraid of getting bombed because of it, but we are still alive and the point is we need to keep on going strong, don’t let that light that all Americans have go out . . .

  “Great men, great nations, have not been boasters and buffoons, but perceivers of the terror of life, and have manned themselves to face it.”

  —RALPH WALDO EMERSON, The Conduct of Life

  FROM AN AOL POST FROM A 16-YEAR-OLD FROM OHIO, 9/15/2001 2:11 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: MEMORY IN WORDS

  We wake up tomorrow in a different world.