My 10-year-old daughter and her friends made keychains. We took them to a local storefront and asked for donations for the September 11 fund. At the end of the day they collected over a thousand dollars. We are doing it again this weekend.
I can’t ever remember feeling this sad or helpless. This was good therapy for us as well as our children.
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/23/2001 10:40 PM EDT
SUBJECT: THE WALL: HOW MY SCHOOL RAISED MONEY
My club, Students Against Drunk Driving, sold red, white, and blue paper bricks (which were all donated by Office Max and Office Depot) for a dollar apiece. For every dollar donated, people signed their name onto a piece of paper that stated “I’m Rebuilding America.”
We raised $1,000 in a week! And this is a high school! It’s all going to the Red Cross relief fund!
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/15/2001 6:31 PM EDT
SUBJECT: HAD TO SHARE THIS DAY
Yesterday my mom called me at work and said she was getting so many calls at the Red Cross office asking what people could do to help and where they could come donate. She asked if I could set something up for this weekend, so I called Wal-Mart, which donated space and volunteers.
I then went to places like video stores, restaurants, and Pepsi-Cola, asking for things we could give to those who came and gave money. Every single one of them gave; even Papa John’s pizza delivered us pizzas every hour to give away.
I saw the most incredible outpouring of generosity I have ever seen in my life. People actually handed us $50 bills just for a bag of popcorn; another gave us $100 and just asked for a red, white, and blue ribbon. I saw young and old, black, white, Indian, and even people of Arabic descent searching their wallets for money to give.
I was in tears more than once today.
Somebody thought that by flying airplanes into our buildings they could tear apart this nation; what they did was bring it together even stronger. I haven’t done the final count yet, but the last we counted we had made over $2,000, and we will be back out tomorrow.
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 12:18 AM EDT
SUBJECT: HOW OUR SCHOOL HELPED . . .
I’m a senior at the Ethel Walker School in Connecticut. One day every week we will cut down on our lunch costs and eat broth, rice, and oranges in remembrance of those that were lost in this great tragedy.
The $400 we save on each meal when we do this is sent to various organizations and hospitals that are in need of such funds. I urge others to think of such sacrifices that they could observe and also help those in need.
If there was ever a time to be proud of your country and of your fellow Americans, it is now . . .
“Necessity is the mother of courage, as of invention.”
—WALTER SCOTT, Quentin Durward, 1823
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/14/2001 6:10 PM EDT
SUBJECT: FOOD TOUR!
I am the manager of a mobile marketing tour. We were working in the Boston market when the WTC was hit. The feeling of helplessness was so heavy.
On Wednesday we were contacted by the client, who told us to drop what we were doing in Boston and head for New York to see if we could help. We are currently serving hot plates of food to the relief workers at ground zero.
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/14/2001 7:11 PM EDT
SUBJECT: CHILDREN CAN HELP
I am a teacher in Buffalo, New York. Today all of our public school children wore red, white, and blue. We had a moment of silence to honor the dead.
And we collected new socks for the rescue workers.
The children wrote messages of hope in the socks, and a local church transported them to the rescue workers.
Our little school collected 200 pairs. It’s a little thing but the kids understand how clean, dry socks might help a worker feel better. They felt proud to help.
PATRIOTIC
“Beneath Heaven’s gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!”
—KATHARINE LEE BATES,
“AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL”
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 10:48 AM EDT
SUBJECT: PLEASE READ AND SHARE
What is America?
On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were hit by American planes hijacked by terrorists. Buildings so large they each had their own Zip codes were destroyed, and thousands of people were murdered. Headlines around the world read “Attack on America.”
But was America attacked? What is America?
America is
Many victims calling their families and friends to say, “No matter what happens to me, I love you.”
America is
Hundreds of firefighters and paramedics arriving within minutes, putting their own lives in jeopardy, to help thousands of victims escape burning buildings.
America is
While the second Trade Center building began to burn, nearby priests ran to the scene to give last rites to victims in their final moments.
America is
People running down flight after flight of stairs, and two women stopping to carry a disabled co-worker down 68 flights.
America is
Shoe merchants throwing shoes and slippers to barefoot strangers and women wearing high heels so they could run a little faster from the tumbling buildings.
America is
U.S. servicemen and women at the Pentagon protecting their country as flames loomed over their heads.
America is
In perhaps the most courageous act of democracy ever, passengers aboard United Airlines flight 93 voting to try to overthrow their hijackers after hearing that two other planes had hit the World Trade Center. They knew that although they would surely perish, they would save more lives on the ground.
America is
Millions of Americans watching the news as it unfolded and praying to G-d to help the victims escape quickly and to ask that lives be spared.
America is
Hundreds of emergency personnel staying to help out “just one more person” as the buildings crumbled.
America is
Restaurant owners and New Yorkers bringing water, coffee, and food to workers who tirelessly toiled to find survivors. As each left to be replaced by a rested colleague, New Yorkers cheered them and thanked them.
America is
Lines three or four hours long at blood banks across the country, many having to turn people away.
America is
Millions of homes displaying American flags sending out messages of love and hope to the thousands of victims and their families. Within hours, millions of flags disappeared off store shelves, and many more were back-ordered.
America is
Doctors, nurses, counselors, and firefighters arriving from many other neighboring states, leaving their homes and jobs at a moment’s notice, asking how they can help.
America is
A young Russian-born man meeting an elderly Jewish woman frantically looking for her husband among the debris. The young man spent the next two days helping her find him, so that they may spend their final days together.
America is
A young Pakistani-American NYU college student, after witnessing it all, lining up to give blood, offering water to relief workers, and praying to Allah to return peace to his country.
America is
Jewish families calling their fellow Muslim-American neighbors and asking if they are okay and if anyone in their family was affected by the tragedy. They offered each other their support in the weeks and months ahead.
America is
Stranded travelers renting campers, U-Hauls, taxicabs, and rental cars, asking complete strangers if they wanted rides to other states to be with their loved ones.
America is
Prayer services, open to the public, taking place in every town, in ever
y city, in every state in the entire nation. Millions of candles were lit in remembrance of the victims. People prayed in churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and houses of worship in hundreds of faiths, in dozens of languages. Priests stood with rabbis, ministers, reverends, imams, Christian Science readers, and other spiritual leaders, praying together to the same G-d. Together they prayed for all Americans, and for peace in the world.
America is
Catholic and Protestant Irish-Americans working together on bake sales, car washes, and pancake breakfasts to raise money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
America is
Millions of schoolchildren in thousands of cities writing cards and drawing pictures to be sent to New York and Washington, D.C.
America is
Construction workers all over the country painting American flags on building roofs so that pilots overhead know they are valued and appreciated.
America is
Politicians who previously battled their political opponents with great fervor hugging them, crying with them, and sitting with them at memorial services.
America is
Investors all over the world saying, “As a sign of my support for America, I will believe in the strength of the United States and its ability to recover. I will invest in the American spirit.”
America is
Teachers in thousands of schools wiping tears, calming fears, and reminding their students that while the war is on terrorism, the enemy is hate.
America is
Millions of people from dozens of faiths and hundreds of homelands standing together, unwilling to give up on their ideals of peace, justice, and brotherhood.
Did terrorists attack America? They attacked our buildings, they crashed our planes, and they killed many of our brothers and sisters. But did they attack America? No—they cannot. As long as there are people in need, and people who care, regardless of their backgrounds, we will always have America.
“For us, patriotism is the same as the love of humanity.”
—MAHATMA GANDHI
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 12:07 PM EDT
SUBJECT: AMERICA . . . MY HOME, SWEET HOME
America . . . the U.S.A. . . . Land of the free and home of the brave? My whole life I’ve questioned what America stood for—people fighting, killing, racism, and small “wars” with your own people. But this past week, I’ve been truly proud to be an American. Watching all these people rally together and become all of a sudden so patriotic has touched my heart in a way no one has before. I’m still young, 21, and I never imagined seeing something like this happen, let alone my kids seeing it.
I have two little girls, twins. They are 4 years old, and yesterday when they asked me, “Why did God let so many people die?” my eyes just filled up with tears.
What do you tell your kids when asked such a question?
I sat them down, and looked them in the eye and said, “God was with those people the whole way, He held on to them in their moment of need, and made sure that their wings were waiting for them the minute they entered heaven.”
I told them that God was in the buildings, on the planes, and with the rescue workers, but God is also with every family of all the victims.
My two little girls still didn’t seem to understand. Last night while tucking them in, I thought about the mother on the plane with her two little girls taking them on vacation, and I wondered what did she say to them, while on the plane, and how can a mother justify to her young children what happened. And I broke down, crying for all the families of victims and everyone this has affected.
My faith was restored when one of my daughters knocked on my door and climbed into my lap in her little nightgown. She was holding something. Before I could ask what it was, her sister came in, too. She too was holding something in her little hand. Each of them at the same time opened their hands, and they were both holding ten-dollar bills, their leftover birthday money.
One said, “Mommy, I want you to send this to people that need it, because if God would have taken you or daddy, I would want people to give me their birthday money too.”
My other daughter gave me her ten dollars and said, “Mommy, I’m glad that God was with those people, they probably weren’t so scared, knowing that He was holding them.”
And the girls jumped to the floor and left the room. Right then I knew that this nation will come together, and one day we will mend hearts, and move on, with a new sense of pride. I took my daughters’ donation to the Red Cross, and with it they asked me to write a note for them, and this is what is said:
Dear people,
My mommy says that God was with everyone who was hurt, and I’m glad because God makes everything better, and here is our birthday money, please use it to help kids find their mommies and daddies. P.S. God Bless America.
“Donating what we can just shows a sense of pride in the country.”
—VOLUNTEER LOADING UP A RENTED VAN WITH SUPPLIES, Newsday 9/17/2001
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 6:34 AM EDT
SUBJECT: AMERICA, MY HOMELAND
I am an American by choice, not by birth. I chose to become an American citizen because I admired its freedom, its democracy, and its people. I learned here that this, the greatest country in the world, might not have a perfect history, and that it still may have a way to go before perfect justice serves all. But I knew too that we Americans are trying, and trying hard, to correct past mistakes and avoid new ones.
I knew all that with my brain: that is why I became an American citizen. On September 11, I found that I have become an American by heart, too.
I felt the pain of my homeland down in my guts. I cried just by listening to “God Bless America.” I stood proud of my countrymen and women. I am full of rage and hatred against those who dare to desecrate our land, and to murder my brothers and my sisters.
Thanks, America, for giving me a home. Thanks, America, for the heroism of your children. I, too, am willing to give my life for you.
“I want to pull over and cry. I love this country. America tried to help everybody. God bless America.”
—A TAXI DRIVER FROM EGYPT, The New York Times 9/12/2001
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/23/2001 4:17 PM EDT
SUBJECT: WHAT GENERATION X NEVER UNDERSTOOD
I am a college student at the University of Georgia. I wrote this letter to my grandfather, who is a U.S. Army veteran, after the tragedy on 9-11-01. I want to dedicate it to all those who have served in our military, to those who continue to serve, and to those who will serve in the future. I will let the letter speak for itself.
Granddad,
There are a few things that I have been feeling this week that I would like to share with you. Until this unfortunate tragedy, I do not think the young people of America had any concept of war. In my short 21 years of life, I have always felt safe, never even considering threats from the outside world. I believed that my country was so strong that we were untouchable, but this week has proved different.
It has been the topic of discussion in all of my classes the entire week, and the same subject keeps coming up. Our generation really is clueless about how it must have been to live through what our grandparents, and even some of our parents have lived through, and for the first time, we are aware of our ignorance.
I don’t think any history book will ever be able to help someone relive the feelings that I, and the rest of my fellow American citizens, are feeling at this moment. I suppose this is how you feel about the things you have seen throughout your life, and the wars you have been through.
For all the times I asked you about the wars, I was fascinated by what you were saying, but I never understood the true meaning of war. Stories can be told all day long, but this experience has given me a new perspective on the past.
I just want to tell you that for the first time I feel like I really appreciate what you did when you fought for our freedom in the war. I am so ashamed that it took something like this to make me
realize what true heroes you and the rest of the armed forces really are. Before this tragedy I took my freedom for granted, but now that someone has threatened my freedom, I thank God for it every day.
I know that without you and all those who went to war for us in the past, I would not have the opportunities that I have now. I thank you for fighting for our country. You are a true hero, and I just wanted to tell you that.
“An incident like this brings out the patriotism in a person—it’s a combination of anger at the people who attacked us and sadness for the people who’ve lost their lives.”
—A MAN WEARING RED, WHITE, AND BLUE RIBBONS ON THE LAPEL OF HIS JACKET, Entertainment Weekly 9/28/2001
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 8:03 PM EDT
SUBJECT: THE RAINBOW
On Friday night, Sept. 14 at 6:53 PM, I was riding through Rockland, Mass., and the most beautiful rainbow was in the sky. I hadn’t seen one in years. It brought me to a church parking lot, where people had been gathering.
A woman asked if I would like to light a candle with them. I did. We prayed and then sang “My Country ’Tis of Thee.” I was overcome by sadness.
As I rode home, the streets were lined with people holding candles and flags. I have never been prouder to be an American. My blessings go out to everyone who has been affected by this both directly and indirectly and God bless all the heroes who have so relentlessly volunteered their time and efforts towards this horrible tragedy. Let us continue to unite. We all need each other.
FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 5:01 PM EDT
SUBJECT: THE DAY I BECAME AN AMERICAN
I was born in America in 1968, but I became an American on Sept. 11, 2001!
“These states are the amplest poem,
Here is not merely a nation but a teeming Nation of nations,
Here the doings of men correspond with the broadcast doings
of the day and night,
Here is what moves in magnificent masses careless of particulars,
Because We Are Americans Page 9