This week, the people of the United States remembered the horrific events of what has come to be known simply as 9/11. The year happened to be 2001, but nobody needs to add that as 9/11 is sufficient for those of us who were around at the time. It’s difficult to believe that 25 years have passed since the events of that fateful Tuesday morning.
Just like several other world events that have occurred during my lifetime, such as the assassination of president Kennedy and Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when news of the attacks on the twin towers, as well as the other two sites, hit the airwaves. In one way, it seems so long ago as I realize that I was only 48 years old when the attacks occurred. My, how much has happened since then. No less than half of U.S. adults name 9/11 as the most memorable and significant event of their lives.
We didn’t have any grandchildren back then, and now our oldest grandson is about to celebrate his 25th birthday. And the changes to the country are almost beyond belief. Remember when there was no such thing as airport security – you could walk to a gate to welcome someone coming in on a flight? Or I distinctly remember when, at the age of 17, I flew off to London on my way to Germany; to work over the summer. My mother and father were on the observation deck at O’Hare watching my flight take off.
Back in 2001, only 5% of checked baggage was screened but today 100% or checked baggage is scanned for weapons and other forms of destructive devices. By the way, it costs $7.8 BILLION dollars to provide this security to the American public – up from $4.8 billion in 2003.
That’s not the way we do things anymore. We carry more ID’s than ever before and the government links the various departments so as to be able to cross reference information in their databases. Not so long ago, I had a major problem with my TSA Global Entry membership when my new passport had a space between letters of my middle name. The computers thought it was a different person and I have now have to make sure that all my security info contains that space so that I can fly or go through security.
It’s also almost impossible to believe that we now have around 349+ million Americans. And more than 100 million of them weren’t born until after 9/11! The only way that these people will learn about one of the most infamous days in our history will be through books, videos, media reports and memories of family members.
We lost 2977 people in the terrorist attacks and, believe it or not, we have lost more than 3000 first responders since 9/11 as a result of cancer and other illnesses they contracted going through debris and attempting the rescues of those who were trapped and/or injured. More than 19,000 people enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program have been diagnosed with PTSD or similar illnesses. Many of the first responders had a premonition that they could be affected in later years by health hazards present during the clean-up and rescue operations. But that didn’t stop anyone from offering whatever help they could to the victims.
In addition to the masses of first responders, there were numerous search and rescue teams that came on scene to assist with the operations. Of course, some of the operations turned into recovery assignments, helping to find those who didn’t survive the attacks. More than 300 dogs were a phenomenal help. Roswell and Salty assisted their blind owners and hundreds of others to safety in the towers before they collapsed. Bretagne (Brittany) worked 12 hour shifts and was 2 years old at the time of the attack. She was the last surviving 9/11 rescue dog when she finally passed in 2016. Of course there were many other hero dogs as well. Many of them received awards for their heroic efforts during the crisis.
President Bush visited the scene and he also unveiled a number of portraits that are housed at the Bush Museum in Dallas. He has painted 16 images in response to the attack, including a take on the famous photo of when he was informed that the U.S. was under attack while he was visiting a school. In fact, President Bush has taken up the hobby of painting and has memorialized numerous Americans through the last several decades.
As much as we came together as a nation during the days and months after the attacks, we still need to work on dealing with one another out of love and caring, rather than the competitive, angry attacks that we perpetrate on one another, especially in the political arena. The country needs a divine wake up call – a resurgence of Christianity, a spiritual awakening – and we just can’t seem to get there. But we did receive a nudge from God in the rubble…
There are many incredible stories of heroism during and after the attacks. One of the things that was found in the debris was a Bible that was fused to a piece of steel during the collapse of the towers. The Bible was open to a specific verse – a solemn reminder of how Jesus wants us to act. Certainly, this wasn’t, and still isn’t, a popular verse in view of what we went through after the most devastating attack ever on our own soil. Our verse for tonight is the one visible to first responders and a photographer who captured the unusual sight for posterity. Matthew, author of the first Gospel, gives us the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:38-39, when we are told, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
My encouragement this evening is that, as Christians, are called to a higher standard. The world needs peace and it is up to our leaders to deliver. My prayer is that every Christian will pray for peace and remember the sacrifices of so many Americans since the turn of the century. Through our collective efforts, perhaps we can be the tip of the spear for encouraging a more God centered world, Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…