We are dedicating this page to the friends and families of
those killed or injured during the cowardly attack on an innocent American
civilian population on 9/11/01; also to the rescue workers and volunteers who
have given so much of themselves to help during this tragedy - some have given
all.
The most beautiful things in the world
Cannot be seen or touched.
They must be felt with the Heart.
Name: Annee / Lady Taz
Region: New York
Subject: A Call to Arms
I live in upstate New York now, but have lived all over North America.
In the process, I've made many friends. I had a good friend killed in the Pentagon, and another is still missing. I've confirmed 9 friends dead, so
far, at the World Trade Center, with another 50 'unaccounted' for. (God, how I've come to hate that word...) My husband and I are BOTH in the
National Guard. He was activated immediately, and has been in Manhattan since Tuesday. I just got back from there myself. I've also been activated.
My family is very upset about this, but people need to understand, that this life is what I chose, what I accept, and right now, being activated is what
I want...what I need. You see, I need revenge. I need to know that they will not have died in vain. "A Call to Arms" comes from my heart... The
person responsible for these actions was begging for a response...well...be careful what you wish for, you
b***ard...
"A Call To Arms"
I distantly remember my father in uniform. He looked so proud the day he went off to fight Hitler. I remember my mother was very upset, but I didn’t
know why. She told me I was too young and I didn’t understand. She was right. How could I comprehend the stranger that returned to me, having
experienced the beaches at Normandy. All I knew was he was forever changed, and something made me glad I hadn’t been there, hadn’t seen what turned my
father into an old man, almost before my eyes. I didn’t understand.
I remember more clearly, the day my brother left for Vietnam. The sarcasm I threw his way, telling him he should mind his own business and not get
involved. I remember his wife was so supportive of him. She thought he was so brave, and I thought she was a fanatic. She told me I was uninformed and
I didn’t understand. She was right. How could I pierce the shadows I saw in the eyes of this stranger, on the day he returned fresh from the forest.
Where was the warm, teasing smile that I cherished. All I knew was he was forever changed, and something made me thankful that I hadn’t been there,
hadn’t seen what he’d seen, that had made him give up hope. I still didn’t
understand.
I remember in detail the day I enlisted. I was so proud to be following in their footsteps, but they were frantic. I told them this was something I
truly wanted to do, and they had to accept that, but they said I didn’t understand. They were right. I subsequently saw my way through several
conflicts, from the Gulf, to the Desert. In all that time, all I saw was
the foolishness of people, to think they could withstand our mighty force. I honestly didn’t understand.
I remember, bitterly, just the other day. Watching first one, and then a second plane attack the World Trade Center, and then a third attack, this
time on the Pentagon. I questioned my own eyes, and told myself this couldn’t be happening, that I must have misunderstood. I watched all day, in
shock, barely comprehending, and suddenly, I finally understood.
But with this understanding came something else…anger. Anger at the thought of a
young man, crawling up a beach, as his friends died around him. Anger at the picture of another young man, slipping quietly through the forest, with
death waiting behind the next tree. Anger for all the wasted lives,
shattered dreams, and crushing anguish, left in the wake of an unspeakable act. I looked at myself in the mirror, and saw the difference in my own
eyes. Gone was the calm, gentle, ‘slightly amused with life’ look I normally saw. A stranger stared back at me…a warrior. Forged from the
knowledge that this act could not go unpunished.
I understand now, and with that understanding comes a power no terrorist can ever defeat. Knowledge… The knowledge that sometimes there can be no
forgiving, no mercy, and no guilt. I’m ready to fight back now, the only way I know… an eye for an eye, only I intend to go for the throat,
too…
~ An American soldier
From Persian - Heart of Gold - Australia
E Pluribus Unum
Sept 11, 2001
My heart ached.
I was tired of crying.
Tired of hoping.
Exhausted from feeling,
the day American's came
to my aid.
I stretched to place
a coin into an offering,
and I read,
'E Pluribus Unum,
In God We Trust'.
I saw a lone man
waving a flag
on the overpass
of the freeway.
A young boy looking on
as his father in a ponytail
lovingly smoothed
a flag bumper sticker
to the back window of
their car.
A woman burying
her face in the flag,
and another whose tear
sizzled against the wick
of a flickering candle.
I listened to those who
too often argued bitterly
about who is wrong
and who is right
say
"we".
I too heard,
a president
who listened,
and who prayed.
I healed a bit,
as exhausted rescuer
choked up with
"I'm only doing my job."
and I closed my eyes
and hugged my child
when he whispered,
"We'll be better tomorrow mom."
Tonight, I am not white
or black, or yellow.
I am not a Jew or a
Christian
or a pagan.
I am not Japanese,
or French or Danish.
I am not a mourner
or a survivor
or even a rescuer.
I am, an American
just like them,
just like you.
In many, we are one.
E Pluribus Unum.
© Marsha (Chantaclair Rose) Steed
September 14 2001
Page 11 - 911 Memorial
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