Amidst the hubbub of back-to-school preparation and the attempt to cram as much enjoyment of warm weather as possible into the month of September, people sometimes forget that September 11 is a national day of remembrance.
I was surprised when I turned my calendar page from August to September that there was nothing denoting September 11 as “Patriot Day.”
For some reason through the years, it has become politically incorrect to be patriotic. There are many people who think being a patriot means being a mindless follower of the status quo. There are citizens who don’t stand for the National Anthem and don’t want to say the Pledge of Allegiance because they think it is governmental indoctrination. There are some who think patriotism is linked to a particular political party or ideology.
I disagree. To me, being patriotic means respecting my fellow Americans—Democrats, Republicans or Independents; young or old; gay or straight; black, white or brown. Being patriotic means working together to keep our county strong, not bickering over who is right or wrong.
To me, being patriotic means remembering the rich history of our nation from the wisdom of the founding fathers, the bravery of the pioneers, and the strong entrepreneurial spirit that brought us into the 21st century.
And it means remembering those who have died in wars meant to end war and all the Americans—of all walks of life and ethnicities—who perished in the terrorist attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001.
It’s hard to remember, to picture again the Twin Towers burning in the bright September sky. It’s hard to think of the husbands and wives, the sons and daughters who died on the horrendous day.
It might be easier for those of us who live far away from Ground Zero and the other places that have become hallowed ground to shut out those memories. We live in a relatively peaceful place where we can almost forget that in a blink of an eye 11 years ago, 2,977 people perished.
But that is not what we are called to do as patriots.
On December 18, 2001, Public Law 107-89 was passed declaring September 11 Patriot Day—a day of remembrance. The day calls on Americans to remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001 by flying the flag at half-mast at our homes and businesses, at all government buildings. It asks citizens to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time), the time when the first plane struck the World Trade Center.
I would add to that resolution. I would encourage everyone to remember not just the heartbreak and the despair of 9/11. I think we should also pause to remember the caring way Americans responded to the crisis. We stopped the bipartisan bickering and angry rhetoric. We gathered in churches and community centers and held hands and prayed or meditated for peace. We pledged to stand together and we pledged to be kinder to one another. We proudly flew the flag on our homes, our cars, on highway overpasses. We were patriots. We shouldn’t need a public law to remind us of that.
If we learn nothing else from this
tragedy, we learn that life is short and
there is no time for hate.
Sandy Dahl, the wife of
Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl
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