September 11, 2006

September 11 th Remembered  

COLUMBUS, OH – Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus) today submitted the following editorial:

Five years ago, at 8:45am on September 11, 2001, our nation suffered an unimaginable terrorist attack, the first wave in a tide of horror that would result in nearly 3000 American casualties in a matter of hours. The incomprehensible grief, disbelief and outrage of Americans resulted in a motto for the tragedy, “We shall never forget.” And we have not.

While the horrific events of the day will be forever ingrained all of our memories, we mustn’t either forget the outpouring of heroism and unified benevolence that followed in the hours and days after the attacks. The empathy, compassion and inherent humanity of everyday Americans were exposed to the world. We did not wilt or cower in our mourning; rather, we witnessed the birth of countless heroes – ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things in the wake of unspeakable tragedy.

Last month, we first became aware of another such hero living right here in our own backyard. Upon learning of the hit on Tower 1, Sgt. Jason Thomas, a former Marine living on Long Island on 9/11, raced to ground zero, donned his Marine uniform from the trunk of his car, and began searching for survivors amid the ash, smoke and deadly, smoldering debris. His seemingly illogical instinct – to race into the horror from which tens of thousands of terrified Americans fled – saved the lives of two Port Authority police officers Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin, who were helplessly trapped beneath 20 feet of debris when the towers collapsed. Sgt. Thomas remained at the site for two and a half weeks, courageously searching for the living.

Equally remarkable is Sgt. Thomas’s astounding humility. Now a security officer for the Ohio Supreme Court, he never spoke publicly about his actions that day until he saw himself being portrayed in the film, “ World Trade Center.” While his courage was rightfully – albeit five years belatedly -- honored in a ceremony two weeks ago, Sgt. Thomas’s stubborn reluctance to accept the label of hero is the very thing that makes him one.

Central Ohio is replete with similar stories of courage and compassion, some known and others never to be told. Countless Ohioans dashed to New York City, Washington, and the Somerset County, Pennsylvania, immediately to help. Health care workers, firefighters, and police, along with Ohioans with no expertise as a first responder but with an irrepressible desire to help, flooded the crash sites to assist their fellow Americans. Ohioans of all walks of life, united by their grief and empathy, contributed in every imaginable manner to this spontaneous relief effort, unprecedented in size or scope.

Throughout central Ohio, students K-12 collected donations, held fundraisers, and emptied their own pockets to benefit the World Trade Center victims and their families. Car washes, lemonade stands, bake sales and flag pins were eagerly bought up by a central Ohio public desperate to help in some capacity, and within three weeks of the attacks, more than half a billion dollars had been sent to charities and relief agencies from across the country. Never before had our nation’s character been so profoundly tested, and never before has our nation’s humanity been so thoroughly revealed.

Five years after September 11th, we no longer have the glowing embers of wreckage to remind us of the impacts and explosions. The twisted beams and mangled metal have been removed from Ground Zero. But as the recent arrests in Great Britain illustrate, the world remains indisputably dangerous. We might do well to recall that the terrorists waited seven years before attacking the World Trade Center for the second time—a time during which they planned and practiced as they lived among us, exploiting our liberties. And so, as we mark this somber anniversary of the attacks, we must recommit ourselves not only to the fight against terror but also the battle against complacency.

This Monday, I urge everyone to reflect upon the victims of September 11 th and their families; the first responders who lost their lives and the first responders and ordinary Americans who pulled survivors from the devastation; and the brave men and women in our armed forces who are fighting the terrorists around the globe to ensure that September 11 th, 2001, remains a memory, not a recurring tragedy.

 

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