Remembering September 11th

Today is September 11th, the 5th anniversary of the attack on America. I am in Boston today, the cradle of American freedom and democracy. The tragedy of September 11 was brought home to me yesterday afternoon when we came upon a monument in the Public Garden commemorating the Bostonians who lost their lives on that day, including a list of those names. Here, on the east coast, the loss seems all the more poignant. I have included a photo of part of that memorial herewith. Early this morning, I walked to historic Trinity Church to pray and they, like so many other institutions, are hosting multiple services to honor the fallen we remember today. As I walked back, several planes were flying above the city towing American flags and signs with the words, “We will never forget.” I have written many times before about the military and political aspects of this day and our long term response, but today is simply a day to remember. In order to put its scope into prospective once again, let’s review the casualty statistics once again. Here are how many people we lost at each attack venue:
In the Twin Towers 2595
Flight 11 92
Flight 175 65
In the Pentagon 125
Flight 77 64
Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Flight 93 45

A total of 2, 986 people lost their lives that day. Yet, that is only part of the story. Based upon that unthinkable number, consider how many widows, orphans and widowers were left, along with how many people must have lost sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and so forth. The impact to families, congregations, corporate staffs, neighborhoods and the like makes for a staggering set of permutations, not to mention the emotional effect on the rest of us all these thousands of miles away. As we digest those numbers, let us remember that more Americans were killed on September 11th than we have lost in three years of armed conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. As an additional point of reference, only 2, 403 Americans were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. However, in stark contrast, the victims of the attacks on September 11th were all unarmed civilians, which makes their mass murder all the more heinous. No, we really should never forget.

The people behind those attacks have also been responsible for the attacks in Madrid bombing and the more recent bombings in England. These people clearly are not satisfied with military targets. They are after you and me and our children and our very way of life. We really cannot afford to forget.

The news and media are abuzz today with special reports and live coverage of memorial services being held in New York, the Pentagon, Pennsylvania and various other locations. Churches are holding services. Signs and flags are up everywhere. In the midst of these tributes let us join together once again to console one another, let us remember … and let us turn to face future threats against us by presenting a united front. We said we would never forget … may it be so.