9/11 -- Embedded Memories in an Empty Sky

I woke up this morning, and could barely breathe

Just an empty impression in the bed where you used to be
I want a kiss from your lips; I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning
To an Empty Sky         (Empty Sky, Bruce Springsteen, 2002) 

And so it goes… on this historic 10th Anniversary of 9/11!  The above song lyrics are from Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising”, an album that captured the sense of loss Americans felt in the aftermath of the worst war-like attack this country has ever experienced. 

For me, the magnitude of suffering resonates from our fellow citizens, those tragic victims who took the brunt of the blows in the Towers, the Pentagon and in the airplanes commandeered by Islamic terrorists bent on destroying our values and way of life.  Evil men underestimated our resolve and ability to strike back.  Hence,  they awakened a sleeping giant and they continue to witness the on- going collapse of their Taliban organization and al Qaeda network; and finally the death of their leader Osama Bin Laden in May of this year.

But it was the suddenness of death and loss that is depicted in the above verse that always seemed to captivate me-- in a remorseful, melancholy way-- in the weeks and months after the attacks.  We find a man who wakes up the next morning and has to absorb the reality of “an empty impression” in his bed where his wife slept. No longer will he be able to get a simple kiss on the lips, a loving hug, and shared intimacy, or share a meal, raise their children and create memories of life.  As he looks out on the horizon, he can see the remnant of his anguish… an “empty sky” that formerly held a vista of a Manhattan skyline grasping two structures of behemoth proportions that once seemed as indestructible anthems to our American influence and work ethic, ever visible to the world.  And he is angry and cries out for revenge; an “eye for an eye” indeed!

I can still remember reading the biographies of the victims that were printed in the newspapers describing ordinary Americans, like you, like me, who left for work that day and never returned.  They were our “salt of the earth” types; workers from janitors to executives who languished daily to support themselves and their families.  Their faces were of mothers, fathers and children all humanly connected to a community of families and friends that loved them.  Firefighters, police officers, clergy and rescue workers all risking their lives (and many giving their lives) to save as many of the citizenry as possible.  Excruciating were the phone calls being made and recorded in homes, on cell phones of people saying goodbye forever in this life.  I can still remember my visit to New York in early October, 2001 and witnessing the photographs and flyers that lined every inch of space on poles, buildings and street corners around lower Manhattan.  Families hoping to find any last vestige of their loved ones improbable survival.  Accepting death was too hard and painful.  

Let’s also try and imagine the huge loss of co-workers that many of the survivors had to deal with in the various companies affected by the attacks.  We often spend more time with our friends, our colleagues and co-workers than we do with our own families.  Consider the example of Cantor- Fitzgerald, an investment banking firm which lost 658 employees, by far the most of any business that occupied the Towers.  Can you imagine reliving that nightmare every day after reporting back to work in the future weeks and months? Can you picture the anguish of a somber receptionist who has to answer the phone and gaze at an employee roster that is all but extinct?

Furthermore and terribly disturbing to me is the “choice” made by many victims caught on upper floors-- that were hit by American Flight 11and United Flight 175.  That choice was to jump to their death or burn to death in the existing jet-fueled inferno.  One can still watch footage of countless “jumpers” and the deafening sound of their bodies hitting the surfaces around the World Trade Center complex.  Can anyone place themselves in that horrifying predicament?

Surely life and the world have changed drastically for people in any way connected to the nearly 3000 people who lost their lives in the vicious attacks of the day.  The world has also changed in a multitude of ways for every one of us living in this country.  But at this 10-year juncture, there are many blessings in the curse that was 9-11.  The resilient spirit that has always engulfed Americans led many to rebound rather quickly.   In a recent LA Times article, it was reported that “Psychologists have found that the emotions that surrounded NYC and the rest of the nation10 years ago –the fear, the anger—have largely faded into the background, often with remarkable speed”.  In the same section, though, it was also reported that the proliferation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that scarred so many after the attacks-- still exist in large numbers today. 

One thing is very clear to me.  We can never forget the events of September 11^th… never again can we let our guard down in a violent, fallen world where terrorists are willing to commit suicide to accomplish their goals of destruction against the West, particularly the United States.  We also need to learn that we are mere mortals, and no day is promised.  Cherish the human relationships that we cultivate in this life; know that we are here for a purpose and thank God every day we have the opportunity to embrace not only the blessings but the challenges of life.