Spirit of America

This article was posted 9/2001 shortly after September 11th happened. I was very moved by this article. In fact, 8 years later, I still have a copy of this article. It may bring back hurt, it may bring back memories, but the Spirit of America is still alive and strong. I always feel a great sense of pride when I see a flag.

We live in a country that is free and we are only free because every day people risk their lives to keep our freedom. So, I thank you. I thank you if you have ever served in our Armed Forces. I thank you to those who are policemen or firemen. I thank you if you work in the medical field. I thank you if you have a family member serving or has served. I thank those who took the biggest risk of all and lost their lives in the line of duty.

8 years later, the memory of that day still lives on. We will never forget.

The Spirit of America

By: Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun Times

• I am the spirit of America.
• I am the Stars and Stripes waving proudly from homes, schools, office buildings and government centers.
• I am New York City Fire Chief Peter J. Ganci Jr., Deputy Fire Commissioner William Feehan, Second-in-Command Tom Von Essen and Rev. Mychal Judge.
• I am the hundreds of yet-unnamed firefighters, police officers and Port Authority officers who are missing and will not be found.
• I am the men and women who knew they were going to die and thus jumped,choosing to have some measure of control over the last breath of their lives.
• I am the thousands of volunteers who have rolled up their sleeves and donned surgical masks to aid the workers digging through the incomprehensible rubble and debris in lower Manhattan.
• I am Michael Benfante, 22, and John Cerqueria, 36, who carried a disabled woman down 68 floors of a World Trade Center stairwell and placed the woman in an emergency van.
• I am the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who fought with their hijackers and brought down the plane outside Pittsburgh, 250 miles from its intended target in Washington, DC.
• I am the dozens of passengers aboard the other hijacked planes who called loved ones to say goodbye, or tried to alert authorities.
• I am President George W. Bush, doing and saying the right things in the face of an unprecedented national tragedy.
• I am former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore,voicing unconditional support for the President.
• I am the members of Congress, standing united on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and spontaneously breaking into God Bless America.
• I am New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, wearing a cap and sweat shirt emblazoned with the logo of the New York City Fire Department, standing strong, calm and forceful while addressing the city.
• I am the loved ones who are holding up photos on television, pasting leaflets on the side of TV news vans, and keeping vigil in the faint hopes that their mother, their father, their child, will be found.
• I am the crowds lining the streets of lower Manhattan, cheering the rescue workers and truck drivers and technicians heading to the disaster site.
• I am the nurses and doctors who have come to New York City to help.
• I am the millions of Americans who have reached out to friends with e-mails and phone calls to say, "I hope you’re all right, and I hope you didn’t lose anyone close to you. And if I haven’t said it lately, I love you."
• I am the thousands upon thousands of Americans in Los Angeles and Denver and Phoenix and Detroit and Philadelphia who have lined up to donate blood.
• I am the electric ribbon of red, white, and blue rimming the top of the John Hancock Center on a September night.
• I am the New Yorkers who have laid flowers and hand-scribbled words of mourning at the site of the disaster.
• I am the construction workers who fashioned stretchers from materials at their nearby work sites and joined the firefighters and the police in rescue efforts.
• I am the Chicago-area firefighters who rode in a caravan of recreational vehicles and sport utility vehicles to New York to offer assistance to their colleagues.
• I am the people gathered at Riverfront Park in Spokane, Washington, singing Amazing Grace.
• I am the business professionals who have donated coffee, food, hotel rooms, phones, and other services.
• I am the journalists covered in soot and risking their own safety so they can tell the world what has happened.
• I am the camera operators who stood strong and took video and still photographs, even as people around them ran for their lives.
• I am General Electric, donating $10 million to the families of emergency workers who have lost their lives.
• I am the investigators who are working swiftly and with precision to identify the terrorists and their accomplices.
• I am the Pentagon workers who aren’t coming home.
• I am Ronnie Clifford, who was trying to save a woman’s life outside the first tower, even as his own sister was aboard the United Airlines plane that was about to hit the second tower.
• I am the rescue personnel who toil to the point of exhaustion, take a break and then get back to the most grisly and heartbreaking work imaginable.
• I am the millions of Americans who will mourn, weep, pray, and never forget.
• I am the spirit of America, and I am alive and strong, and you can never kill me.

9/11/01

"Where Where You?"

By: Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children?
Or working on some stage in LA?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of
that black smoke rising against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger?
In fear for your neighbor?
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children
who lost their dear loved ones?
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble?
And sob for the ones left below?

Did you burst out with pride
for the Red White and Blue
And the heroes who died just doing what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer?
And look at yourself and what really matters?

I'm just a singer of simple songs.
I'm not a real political man.
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran.
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young,
faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is Love.

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?
Teaching a class full of innocent children?
Or driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor?
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?
Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened?
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages?
Speak with some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow?
Go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent home movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers?
Stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family?
Thank God you had somebody to love.

I'm just a singer of simple songs.
I'm not a real political man.
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran.
But I know Jesus and I talk to God.
And I remember this from when I was young
faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us.
And the greatest is Love

And the greatest is Love
And the greatest is Love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?

My friend, Jason, just came back from New York and took pictures of the World Trade Center Memorial Site, click here.

9/11/06, Five years later

This article was posted in the Chicago Tribune on 9/14/2001. I remember thinking how great this was written. I printed a copy of the article and I still have it today. I reread it today and decided to post this on here for everyone to see.

Brandy

The spirit of America: bowed, but unbroken

September 14, 2001

BY RICHARD ROEPER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

I am the spirit of America. I am the Stars and Stripes waving proudly from homes, schools, football fields, office buildings and government centers.

I am New York City Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr., First Deputy Fire Commissioner William Feehan, Capt. Raymond Downey and FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge.

I am the hundreds of firefighters, policemen and Port Authority officers who are missing and will not be found.

I am the men and women who knew they were going to die and thus jumped from the towers, choosing to have some measure of control over the last breaths they would take.

I am the thousands of volunteers who have rolled up their sleeves and donned surgical masks to aid the workers digging through the incomprehensible rubble and debris in lower Manhattan.

I am Michael Benfante, 22, and John Cerqueria, 36, who carried a disabled woman down 68 floors of a World Trade Center stairwell and placed the woman in an emergency van.

I am the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who fought with their hijackers and brought the plane down outside Pittsburgh, 250 miles from its intended target in Washington, D.C.

I am the dozens of passengers aboard the other hijacked planes who called loved ones to say goodbye, or tried to alert authorities.

I am the pilots and flight attendants on those planes.

I am President George W. Bush, doing and saying the right things in the face of an unprecedented national tragedy.

I am former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore, voicing unconditional support for President Bush.

I am the members of Congress, standing on the steps of the Capitol and breaking into a rendition of "God Bless America."

I am the loved ones who are holding up photos on TV, pasting leaflets on the side of TV news vans, and keeping vigil in the faint hopes that their mother, their father, their child, will be found.

I am the crowds lining the streets of lower Manhattan, cheering the rescue workers and truck drivers and technicians heading to the disaster site.

I am the nurses and doctors who have come to New York to help.

I am the millions of Americans who have reached out to friends with e-mails and phone calls saying, "I hope you're all right I hope you didn't lose anyone close to you, and if I haven't said it lately, I love you."

I am New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, wearing a cap and sweatshirt emblazoned with logos of the New York City Fire Department, standing strong and calm and forceful while addressing the city.

I am the thousands upon thousands of Americans in Los Angeles and Denver and Phoenix and Detroit and Philadelphia who have lined up to donate blood.

I am the electric ribbon of red, white and blue rimming the top of the John Hancock Center on a Wednesday night in September.

I am the New Yorkers who have laid flowers and hand-scribbled words of mourning at the site of the disaster.

I am the construction workers who fashioned stretchers from materials at their nearby work sites, and then joined the firefighters and the police in rescue efforts.

I am the Chicago-area firefighters who rode in a caravan of RVs and SUVs to New York to offer assistance to their colleagues.

I am the people gathered in Riverfront Park in Spokane, Wash., singing "Amazing Grace."

I am the business professionals who have donated coffee, food, hotel rooms, phones and other services.

I am the journalists covered in soot and risking their own safety so they can tell the world what has happened.

I am the camera operators who stood strong and took video and still photographs, even as people around them ran for their lives.

I am General Electric, donating $10 million to the families of emergency workers who have lost their lives.

I am the investigators who are working swiftly and with precision to identify the terrorists and their accomplices.

I am the Pentagon workers who aren't coming home.

I am Ronnie Clifford, who was trying to save a woman's life outside the first tower, even as his own sister was aboard the United Airlines plane that was about to hit the second tower.

I am the rescue personnel who toil to the point of exhaustion, take a break--and then get back to the most grisly and heartbreaking work imaginable.

I am the millions of Americans who will mourn, weep, pray--and never forget.

I am the spirit of America, and I am alive and strong, and you can never kill me.

Link to article: http://www.murmurs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8379