Because We Are Americans

by Jesse Kornbluth

  . . . Here the flowing trains, here the crowds, equality, diversity, the soul loves.”

  —WALT WHITMAN, FROM “BY BLUE ONTARIO SHORE,” Leaves of Grass

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/14/2001 12:36 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: AT A VA HOSPITAL IN NORTH CAROLINA

  On September 11 I was at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Asheville, North Carolina. I am a disabled veteran, and I have to tell you—there was enough anger at the VA that if it could be turned into electricity it could have lit the world for the remainder of this century.

  “My neighbors painted their picket fence in red, white and blue.”

  —A WOMAN IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, The New York Times 9/17/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/14/2001 8:52 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU

  I have a son in the Marine Corps who may have to go to war. I’m proud to be his mother, and I’m proud that he represents our country.

  If I could take his place, I would; if I could walk beside him in this, I would.

  Let us pray for our military men and women who will serve our country, and let’s pray they all come back home safely.

  “Patriotism depends as much on mutual suffering as on mutual success, and it is by that experience of all fortunes and all feelings that a great national character is created.”

  —BENJAMIN DISRAELI, SPEECH IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, 3/18/1862

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/22/2001 9:44 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: TEARS OF PRIDE

  In the wake of September 11, a day which Americans both old and young will remember, I have two types of tears.

  My first tears are for all the families that lost their loved ones, friends that lost their loved ones, and for all of America, which has to face this tragic loss of life and the attack on our freedom.

  And yet, in the midst of all this, I also have a different type of tears that I face every day. The tears of pride when I look around and see our “Old Glory” flying proud, the many heroes that are aiding in the search and rescue efforts, and the way people are standing united. And yes, the tears of pride when I scroll through all the touching thoughts and feelings that all you great people have shared.

  Let us show that “they” have not broken our spirit.

  “A thoughtful mind, when it sees a Nation’s flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag the government, the principles, the truths, the history which belongs to the nation that sets it forth.”

  —HENRY WARD BEECHER, FROM “THE AMERICAN FLAG”

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/17/2001 10:18 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: HOMETOWN FLAGS ARE EVERYWHERE!

  Folks—

  A year ago, if you saw someone flying a flag on their pickup truck, a lot of people would have said, “There goes an extremist.” Now, it’s a different story.

  I’ve seen all ethnicities, young and old, flying flags on their SUVs, old pickup trucks, and Cadillacs. Every town I’ve been through has more flags than fire hydrants. I like what I’m seeing, and it is contagious. Please, for our country’s sake, keep this spirit alive. It is going to take many battles and lots of time to win this war. It’s going to get to a point where it will be convenient to slip back into that comfort zone we were all so used to. BUT DON’T. Patriotism is a life attitude, it is esprit de corps, it is remembrance, it is diligence, it is American.

  Patriotism is all these things, but there is one thing it is not. It is not free. It comes with a cost. My fellow Americans, it is time to step back in time, reach down, pick up Old Glory from our fallen soldiers at the Chosin reservoir, Chapultepec, Antietam, Saigon, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima—and continue to march!

  “Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn’t. You cannot shirk this and be a man.”

  —MARK TWAIN

  RESOLUTE

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/21/2001 12:04 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: THE PILOT ON THE PLANE

  This is something I received from a friend:

  I just wanted to let you know that I arrived safe and sound into Dulles Airport tonight [9/15] at about 6:00. It was an interesting flight.

  The airport in Denver was almost spooky, it was so empty and quiet. No one was in line for the security checkpoint when I got there, so that went fairly quickly, just x-ray of my bags and then a chemical test to be sure nothing explosive was on them.

  Then I waited 21⁄2 hours to board the plane. What happened after we boarded was interesting, and I thought I would share it with you.

  The pilot/captain came on the loudspeaker after the doors were closed.

  His speech went like this:

  “First, I want to thank you for being brave enough to fly today. The doors are now closed, and we have no help from the outside for any problems that might occur inside this plane. As you could tell when you checked in, the government has made some changes to increase security in the airports. They have not, however, made any rules about what happens after those doors close. Until they do that, we have made our own rules, and I want to share them with you. Once those doors close, we only have each other.

  “The security has taken care of a threat like guns with the increased scanning, etc. Then we have the supposed bomb. If you have a bomb, there is no need to tell me or anyone else on this plane; you are already in control. So, for this flight, there are no bombs that exist on this plane.

  “Now the threats that are left are things like plastics, wood, knives, and other weapons that can be made or things like that which can be used as weapons.

  “Here is our plan and our rules. If someone or several people stand up and say they are hijacking this plane, I want you all to stand up together. Then take whatever you have available to you and throw it at them. Throw it at their faces and heads so they will have to raise their hands to protect themselves.

  “The very best protection you have against knives are the pillows and blankets. Whoever is close to these people should then try to get a blanket over their head—then they won’t be able to see. Once that is done, get them down and keep them there. Do not let them up. I will then land the plane at the closest place and we WILL take care of them.

  “After all, there are usually only a few of them, and we are 200+ strong! We will not allow them to take over this plane.

  “I find it interesting that the U.S. Constitution begins with the words ‘We, the people’—that’s who we are, THE people, and we will not be defeated.”

  With that, the passengers on the plane all began to applaud, people had tears in their eyes, and we began the trip toward the runway.

  The flight attendant then began the safety speech. One of the things she said is that we are all so busy and live our lives at such a fast pace. She asked that everyone turn to their neighbors on either side and introduce themselves, telling each other something about our families and children, show pictures, whatever. She said, “For today, we consider you family. We will treat you as such and ask that you do the same with us.”

  We learned that for the crew, this was their first flight since Tuesday’s tragedies. It was a day that everyone leaned on each other and together everyone was stronger than any one person alone. It was quite an experience.

  “It’s very simple: There is only one requirement of any of us, and that is to be courageous. Because courage, as you might know, defines all other human behavior. And I believe, because I’ve done a little of this myself, pretending to be courageous is just as good as the real thing.”

  —DAVID LETTERMAN, 9/17/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/14/2001 3:12 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: SAME DAY, DIFFERENT WORLD . . .

  I was outside smoking a cigarette. That’s right. Nothing spectacular, nothing great. I wasn’t watching the news, I wasn’t even paying attention to work. I was outside smoking a cigarette the day the world as we know it ended. All I was thinking about was going home on lunch, grabbing somet
hing to eat ’cause I missed breakfast, and smoking a cigarette.

  Then a buddy came up to me and told me about the plane crashes, and I was so out of it that it didn’t even register that it was an attack until he said that both happened within 15 minutes of each other. And that’s when everything I knew came to a screeching halt. I stubbed the cigarette out, went back inside and listened to the radio, and told everyone I could.

  About 30 minutes into just sitting there listening, we all looked at each other and knew what had to be done. We began to pack and prep our equipment. I’m in the Army, and I knew that this might happen . . . I never expected it to. I don’t think any of us did. We train, we plan, but we never really think that, yes, this could happen. We’re the United States of America, for Christ’s sake!

  But . . . it did happen. The world has changed, ladies and gentlemen, and I’m not sure what will come of it. I do know that, while most of the country is screaming for blood, we are demanding it. We’re the protectors of this great country, and we failed.

  The Doves of America were all killed on September 11, 2001 . . . and now there’s nothing left but bloodthirsty Hawks.

  “Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are; but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, ‘rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation,’ a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.”

  —JOHN F. KENNEDY, INAUGURAL ADDRESS, 1/20/1961

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/17/2001 3:41 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: WE WILL SHOW THE WORLD

  From the ruins of our buildings in New York and Washington, D.C., and from the fields in Pennsylvania, where so many of our people paid the ultimate price, will raise a cry for justice of such magnitude that it will be heard even beyond our own galaxy; we will not and we must not allow those that perished to have died in vain.

  The biggest tribute/memorial that we can erect to them is the total and complete eradication of terrorism in the world. Then and only then will we have truly honored their memories; they deserve nothing less.

  “We’re building a strong coalition to go after these perpetrators, but more broadly to go after terrorism wherever we find it in the world.”

  —SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL, The New York Times 9/13/2001

  “I believe that after the terrible tragedy of 11 September, the Vietnam syndrome is behind us. The public will support taking risks, and the armed forces are ready to do so.”

  —GENERAL WESLEY CLARK, IN AN AOL CHAT 9/14/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/17/2001 1:48 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: WAIT . . .

  We are not a patient people, yet we’ve been asked to wait . . . and wait we shall; for wait we must. There’s an adage that states “Patience is a virtue . . .” and we are a virtuous people.

  And so, we wait, collectively, while our trusted and empowered leadership forges an unprecedented alliance. We can take great solace in the sheer magnitude and breadth of our brethren, for it is global and approaching unanimity . . . I’ve also heard “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link . . .” Ironically, our chain has been galvanized and steeled by the very fires that sought to weaken it.

  Phoenix-like, we rise from the ashes created by an ignorance and prejudice that is impossible to comprehend. That extremism must be dealt with on the battlefield of tolerance . . . for, thankfully, we are a tolerant people.

  We can, as we must, tolerate the waiting. We are an innumerable legion, taking comfort in our newly minted currency of singular purpose. We number many nations, cultures, and creeds . . . together seeking undeniable justice against a fanaticism that sought to engage the greatest nation on earth on the biased battlefield of intolerance. Knowledge is power, and we are mighty. Therefore, we wait.

  But we wait in a collective multitude of faithful masses focused on the ultimate realization of triumphant and fundamental right. Prior to the awesome justice we are entitled to, I wish us all great peace and strength in our newly forged alliance . . . For somewhere in a distant land, perhaps, or possibly closer than we might expect . . . there is a person of such meager substance, yet capable of inspiring maniacal lambs to perpetrate suicidal atrocities . . . he is evil made tangible, and he waits, as we must . . . however, he waits ALONE.

  “We will be patient, we will be focused, and we will be steadfast in our determination.”

  —PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, Salon.com 9/17/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/17/2001 1:34 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: THE GREATEST GENERATION

  When Tom Brokaw wrote The Greatest Generation, I remember thinking that the people of the 1940s rose to the occasion to defend the U.S.A. because they had to unite and get the job done. If World War II had occurred in any another generation, I felt Americans of their day would be just as committed to freedom.

  I know I was right, because our generation of 2001 has all the guts and heart of our grandparents. We will do all it takes to rid the earth of these cockroaches with faces that dare cross our borders and hurt our fellow citizens.

  As happened in World War II, those terrorists have surely awakened the Sleeping Giant.

  We are called the “United” States for a reason.

  “We must go forward; but resolution, not rashness, must be the principle of our proceeding.”

  —JANE PORTER, The Coquette

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/16/2001 4:35 PM EDT

  SUBJECT: HATE CANNOT BE FOUGHT WITH HATE!

  What happened in New York and Washington, D.C. is a terrible tragedy.

  Thousands of victims and their families have been violated. All of us have been violated. It is sad and makes us rightfully angry. We need to respond with force in order to keep this from happening again.

  But visions of a quick “Mission Impossible” scenario are wishful thinking. It will be a long process. More Americans will probably die. Other innocents from other countries will be endangered as well. We are changed forever. Despite all of this, we have to keep free from hate and from retaliation and revenge for its own sake.

  We are justified to fight back and must. Our attitude is key—not to hate, but to know force is necessary. Without hate we will do what is necessary and no more. What that is exactly we don’t know yet. We must be united in this.

  If we allow hate to be our main emotion, we let the terrorists win. We become like them. With hate, we make mistakes. With hate, we turn on our own people who are different. American Arabs and Muslims who are equally appalled, who equally lost loved ones, who equally have the rights and dignity of everyone else, are not to blame.

  Hate coupled with ignorance leads to stupid and equally terrorist activities. Ignorance that doesn’t know a turbaned man is not even a Muslim. Ignorance that doesn’t know the value Islam puts on human life. Hate caused the devastation.

  Hate loses if we stick together and work together. Hate wins if we become a divided nation of those of us who are not Arab or Muslim and those of us who are. Then the will of the Terrorist is done and not the will of God, not the will that we say we believe as members of an open, diverse democracy.

  “United we stand, divided we fall.”

  “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

  —MAHATMA GANDHI

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/19/2001 4:42 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: WE WILL RISE FROM THE RUBBLE

  A poem written by the wife of a New York Police Department Lieutenant

  We Will Rise from the Rubble

  So many loved ones in Tower One and Two,

  unaware of the horror terrorists could do.

  Family, friends and rescuers alike,

  left us so suddenly and took Father Mike.

  For a shepherd they needed to guide them to heaven,

  to be with their Lord and embrace their brethren.

  More rescuers came to move steel, stone and wood,

  they valia
ntly struggled to save those they could.

  Day into night, night into day,

  rescuers came from so far away.

  “We the People” feel the loss and oh so much sorrow,

  but we must stand together and think of tomorrow.

  For there’s no greater nation than the United States,

  our homeland has been threatened and they just raised the stakes.

  Terrorism is no game that we want to play,

  but we cannot stand by for just one more day.

  For those in our Nation whose loved ones they’ve lost,

  there’s no greater sacrifice, no greater cost.

  May our prayers wrap around them like a blanket of love,

  remember not what could have been but what was.

  But if your loved ones knew our homeland’s jeopardy,

  would they lay down their lives to defend our country?

  Now it’s our turn to honor their precious memory,

  so stand up and be counted by flying Old Glory.

  The terrorists will be found and they too shall fall,

  for the hurt and the pain that they caused to us all.

  Our soldiers are ready and we shall be too,

  so be strong, America, for the red, white and blue.

  “Our skyline will rise again!”

  —MAYOR RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI, The New York Times 9/24/2001

  FROM AN AOL POST, 9/18/2001 2:12 AM EDT

  SUBJECT: PROUD TO BE AMERICAN

  Things are slowly getting back to somewhat normal, but every day we hear about someone or someone’s story of six degrees of separation. Each story hits closer to home. Who is missing, who is volunteering time/supplies; who are heroes and sadly who is scamming the public by taking advantage of everyone’s emotional state . . .

  The people who did this thought they would bring the USA to its knees, but what they don’t get and understand is the SPIRIT of what AMERICA is all about. This has only mobilized us to do what is necessary to protect our way of life. This will not get us down. America will not let it happen!