9/11 - United We Stand - 2001/2002
Afterimage
Suddenly,You were gone
From all the lives
You left your mark upon.
I remember
How we talked and drank
Into the misty dawn.
I hear the voices.
We ran by the water
On the wet summer lawn.
I see the foot prints.
I remember.
I feel the way you would.
I feel the way you would.
I feel, I feel the way you would...
Tried to believe
But you know it's no good.
This is something
That just can't be understood.
I remember
The shouts of joy
Skiing fast through the woods.
I hear the echoes.
I learned your love for life.
I feel the way that you would.
I feel your presence.
I remember.
I feel the way you would.
I feel the way you would!
I feel, I feel the way you would...
This just can't be understood...
I tried to believe
But you know it's no good.
This is something
That just can't be understood.
I remember.
I feel the way you would.
I feel the way you would!
I feel, I feel the way you would...
This just can't be understood...
No...
- Copyright © 1984 by Neil Peart of Rush (from Grace Under Pressure)
(Thanks to everyone who contributed to this site)
IMPORTANT LINKS (updated 9/10/2002)
See the two beams of light slideshow here. (464kb, Requires MS PowerPoint, added 5/2/2002)
A nice tribute is here.
Look at the amazing statistics and be thankful that more were not killed.
See photos from the rest of the world
here.
Click here to see the photo gallery. (850kb, Requires MS PowerPoint)
Light a virtual candle for the victims of the terrorist attacks on NY and
Washington, DC
here.
The "devil face" picture is here along with many pre-attack pictures of the WTC.
Tips from the pilot on what to do if a terrorist tries to take over your plane is here.
Get your American Flag screensaver dedicated to the 9/11 attack
here.
I like this article by Tony
Parsons of the Daily Mirror
HOW YOU CAN HELP
America's Blood Centers
1-888-BLOOD88 (1-888-256-6388)
In New York: 150 Amsterdam Ave at W. 66th St. or contact your local hospital
Red Cross
Donate blood or make a monetary donation
Locations
FEMA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HeroicStories #237: 20 September 2001 www.HeroicStories.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Face of America
by Susan Halm
Story Editor: Joyce Schowalter
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA
Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 dealt a stunning blow to the American
psyche. For many of us, dazed and shocked, the urgent question we asked
ourselves as we watched the carnage pouring out of our television sets
was: "What can I do to help?"
Local and national news commentators urged us to respond to the Red
Cross's call for blood donations by participating in a blood drive. I have
donated blood in the past, but nothing has approached the urgency I felt
to donate this time. Tuesday night I told my husband, "We've got to go
tomorrow."
We equipped ourselves with books to read and snacks to munch while we
waited, figuring the line might be, oh, maybe an hour or two. When we
reached our local Charleston, South Carolina, Red Cross, we couldn't
believe it. At 11:00 a.m. the line stretched around the block.
It might be eight hours before we reached the head of the line --
still, we walked to the end. And while we waited, I looked at the faces
around me -- and I saw the face of America.
I saw young and old, women with children, Generation-Xers in T-shirts
and tattoos, veterans, people leaning on canes and in wheelchairs, waiting
to give what they had to our country. No one was impatient, no one argued
or pushed ahead of anyone. We had a purpose and a goal -- so we waited.
As we stood, local television and radio stations came out. They
hooked up speakers for us to listen to music and the news from New York
and Washington. They brought us American flags donated by locals to wave
and stickers to wear that read "AMERICA WILL PASS THIS TEST".
Red Cross volunteers brought out food donated by local merchants:
pizzas, McDonald's cheeseburgers, sub sandwiches, delicious fried
chicken, snack foods, fresh fruit, bottles of cold water and sodas. They
fed us, answered our questions, and told us what to expect when we finally
got to the head of the line. They thanked us for coming out and for our
"sacrifice".
One volunteer told us that television pictures of us waiting in line
and giving blood were being transmitted to giant screens in the middle of
the World Trade Center. He told us, "You don't know how much good it does
for these guys to see you here. They come out of the rubble, exhausted.
Then they see you on the screen and they go back in."
We were just Americans, doing what we do, finding another way to have
fun, even in the midst of tragedy. We sang to the music from the speakers,
and we laughed, because Americans are people who love to laugh. We made
friends and discovered common ground with each other.
On a hot fall afternoon in Charleston, South Carolina, I saw the face
of America. Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is roaring back. We have
a common purpose and a common goal. We are once again the UNITED States.
From: Stewart Cobb
Date: September 11th, 2001
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO FIGHT TERRORISM
The United States has just been attacked. If you're in the military, or law
enforcement, or emergency services -- you already know what to do, and
you're too busy to read this. But what about the rest of us? What can YOU
do to fight back? Here are some simple steps. If they sound like classic
wartime advice, that's because we're at war.
Step 1. Give Blood.
They need a lot of it in New York. Even if you don't live near there, every
pint of blood you give in your hometown frees up a pint to move a little
closer. If your blood type is O, it's especially needed because it can be
given to almost anyone. If you're a soldier, a cop, or a rescue worker,
don't give, because blood donors need to avoid strenuous activity for 72
hours afterwards and you might not have that option. The rest of us will
make up for you.
Step 2. Give Time.
Chances are you know someone whose life has been disrupted by today's
attacks. If not a victim, then a government worker whose workday just got
longer, or a mother with small children whose father is stranded in a
distant city. Reach out to your neighbors. Fix dinner for someone who needs
it, or mind the kids for a while, or just hold a fellow American's hand
while they grieve for their loss. Do what you can to ease someone else's
burden.
Step 3. Give Money.
The American Red Cross looks after refugees and the families of casualties.
Obviously, they'll need help. A lot of our military men
and women are going to be working long hours on detached duty, figuring out
who did this and what we'll do in response. The United
Services Organization (USO) is there to help their families cope with their
absence. Other groups, too, look after the physical, mental, and spiritual
health of those in need. Give generously to the church or charity of your
choice.
Step 4. Stay Alert.
You know what's unusual in your neighborhood. If you see something
suspicious -- not just a stray cat, but something really wrong --
report it. Several suicide bombers have been foiled in Israel by alert
citizens who noticed, for example, someone wearing a bulky
jacket on a hot summer day. Use your judgment, and don't overload the cops
with trivia, but keep your head up and your eyes open.
Step 5. Save Your Strength.
Think about how suddenly the folks in the twin towers were attacked. You
might have to save your life, or your family's lives, with no more warning
than they had. So follow all that good advice you keep hearing: eat right,
exercise, try to get a good night's sleep. Learn first aid and CPR, or
brush up. Now is not the time for hangovers. Your family and your country
need you awake and alert.
Step 6. Be Kind.
We're all under a lot of stress right now. Don't add to it. Be nice to the
overworked nurses at the blood center. Don't argue with a cop
who tells you the road's closed; there's a reason for it, and he's just
doing his job. Drive safely and courteously; don't make another
mess the rescue folks have to clean up. Kiss your sweetheart, hug your
kids, and be thankful you still can.
Step 7. Keep Your Chin Up.
More Americans may have died today than at Pearl Harbor. But that day of
infamy didn't stop us, and this one won't either. We're playing defense for
the rest of the day, and it's working: one of those hijacked planes crashed
in Nowhere, Pennsylvania, which isn't on any terrorist's target list. In a
day or two we'll switch over to offense. As any veteran of Normandy or
Inchon or Kuwait City can tell
you, we play offense pretty well, too. Under international law, whoever did
this has committed an act of war against the United States
of America. They started this fight; together, we'll finish it.
Page Created: September 11th, 2001 at 10am
Last Update: November 4th, 2002 at 4pm
Last Update: November 4th, 2002 at 4pm
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