9/11/2001--A day NOBODY should EVER forget!
Back in the Summer of 2006, I visited the sight where the two World Trade Center towers once stood. It is a very moving experience. At the WTC site there is a wall, on this wall are some plaques, on those plaques are some names, those names represent the lost lives of over 2,500 innocent men and women who perished at the hands of cowardly terrorist 7 years ago today. The title that adorns the plaque is THE HEROS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 and let me tell you, many of these 2,500 people were true heros indeed.
Across the street from the WTC site is St. Paul's Chapel which became the centerpiece of the recovery efforts. Within the Chapel friends and family of those who were in the towers that fateful morning have placed photos, letters, cards, badges, and American flags. Upon seeing the various faces of the people whose lives were lost many a tear came to my eyes. The various faces in those photos cover the entire spectrum of Americans. Some are male, some are female. Some are black, some white, some hispanic, some oriental but ultimately, all of these people were Americans and all of these people left this world entirely too soon. Ultimately, a trip to the WTC really helps you appreciate all of the freedoms that we have in this great country but it also serves as a powerful reminder that this world we live in is full of evil. Freedom does not come cheap. In fact, it is paid for in blood, tears, and the lost lives of people that were loved. As you read the names of the brave members of the FDNY who made the ultimate sacrifice to help their fellow citizens on 9/11/01, I challenge you to not just read the names, but to picture the face of a man or woman, and picture the face of a husband or a wife, and picture the face of a son or a daughter, because these were not just people, these were not just firefighers, these were not just Americans, these people were true HEROS and their sacrifices DESERVE our utmost gratitude and reverence.
May God bless each of them and their families...
