Editorial: 17 Years Does Not Lessen The Pain

editorial-fi

This past Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of the most horrific terrorist attack on American soil. On that September morning, 2, 1996 people lost their lives and more than 6,000 were injured. A day that dawned with crisp, clear blue skies quickly became filled with unimaginable tragedy. It showed us the worst in humankind. Had we not, at that time, evolved beyond using people and planes as bombs? It also showed us the best of human nature as strangers helped one another as much as possible seek safety and shelter.

In Greenwich that Tuesday morning, it was quiet after the attack. With so many neighbors and friends working in New York City, we were transfixed before our television screens, watching the events unfold. Traffic into the City was non-existent. The normal noise from I-95 was replaced with a steady stream of sirens and military helicopters headed in the direction of city.

Thirty-three people with ties to Greenwich died that day. Thirty-three people did not return to their loved ones. Wives lost husbands, mothers lost sons, sisters brothers, sons fathers and fathers lost daughters. Their losses cannot be replaced; they left our entire community mourning and grasping to comprehend the enormity of what happened.

Seventeen years does not lessen the pain of loss for loved ones.

Efforts to build a memorial to those lost began almost 16 years ago, when a small group of family members and friends came together because they wanted a place where they could remember those who died. For many they do not have a gravestone. The memorial would be a place for quiet reflection, remembrance and spirituality.

The memorial was officially unveiled three years ago, given to the town and opened for all to visit. It was an opportunity to celebrate completion of the memorial and to thank the thousands of our neighbors who contributed financially to its success. It was also an opportunity to say to the families that we will not forget.

We need to do more than “not forget.” We need to teach. Recently a radio station in Oklahoma posted on social media that the middle school students in their schools are learning about September 11th as a historical event. They were not alive when it occurred. We are impressed that a school district in Oklahoma is doing this. If we do not actively teach about September 11th, then its history, meaning and loss will begin to fade in importance. In a community where 33 people with ties to it died and a memorial stands in their honor, we should actively teach about the terrorist attacks, and every student should visit Cos Cob Park to understand how directly it affected our community.

This past Tuesday we came together once more as a community. We stood quietly and reverently before the memorial as we listen to speakers. We joined with school children and sang our National Anthem. We bowed our heads as each name of the 33 victims is read aloud and listen as a bell is rung. Let us comfort and embrace those who still mourn. Let us lay a flower at the memorial in honor of all who perished. Let us not forget what happened on that fateful Sept. 11, 2001.

Washington Irving wrote: “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief… and of unspeakable love.”

Related Posts
Loading...