Calabash- Where were you when the world stopped turning asked singer Alan Jackson a quarter century ago. Our world was shattered when terrorists attacked us. If you lost someone, you were devastated. If you survived, you were grateful. For the rest of our nation, we were shocked, saddened, angry, confused. How could this happen to us?
Nearly 100 people gathered at the Brunswick Plantation for a Patriot’s Day memorial service on September 11th at 8:00 am. The service was jointly sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Calabash Post 7288 and a Brunswick Plantation residents committee. The sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky, just like it did twenty five years ago on a perfectly "normal” day in a peaceful country.
"We were deliberately attacked by our enemy twenty five years ago” declared Brigadier General Wayne Grigsby, U. S. Army (retired) as he opened the ceremony. American flags flapped in the breeze everywhere you looked, the scene framed by a bright red Calabash fire truck, the dignified white columns of the Brunswick Plantation clubhouse and the Carolina blue sky above while residents, friends and VFW members looked on.
"Frontline leaders, explained Grigsby, "are those men and women who run toward danger when everyone else is running away. Their role is our safety, security, and peace. It is not a role only for special circumstances like this terrorist attack, but something they live every single day. They are the backbone of our nation.” Patriot’s Day is a day to remember them and honor their sacrifices. Policemen, Firemen., Nurses, EMT’s and, of course, our Veterans. They are the unsung heroes in our community working invisibly in the background, serving us, every day. Thank you for your service!
Attendees were invited to say a few words and those that came forward reminded us that the attack wasn’t just against the World Trade Center. A former ATF agent reminded us of the planeload of patriotic Americans who sacrificed themself to fight back against the terrorists, foiling their plan, but crashing in Pennsylvania. Retired Army veteran and VFW Member, Monica King, told about her experience at the Pentagon, feeling the building shake when the crash occurred. She was able to escape and filled her car with refugees she picked up walking away from the attack site. Theresa Gutherie couldn’t attend but sent along a memory to be read by VFW Auxiliary President Cathy Milstead. Every witness and survivor had their own memories and they are all different, yet somehow all similar.
After the attack, we came together as a nation, united in comforting each other. We united in our resolve to fight terrorism. We united in patriotism. We united to prevent further tragedies like this from impacting the world. American patriotism was rekindled. Flags flew from every house and car.
Once again we were called to be the leader of freedom and democracy for the world. Our young men and woman left promising careers and happy families to answer the call of justice, flocking to the armed services to end the threat of terrorism. Many never returned. If you lost someone, you were devastated. If you survived, you were grateful. For the rest of our nation, we were shocked and saddened.
During the ensuing years there were documentaries on TV, articles written, analysis done and books published to remind us. Reminding us, in graphic detail, of the horror of this tragedy. Where were you when the world stopped turning. Every time you heard Alan Jackson sing this song, you remembered exactly where you were and what you felt. We attended national days of mourning, candle lit ceremonies. We waved flags together and vowed never again. But that was then. Do you still remember?
Where were you when the world stopped turning? Another generation has passed. Nearly 30% of our citizens were not even born on that September day. Are they devastated, hurt , angry, sad? You can’t remember what you never knew. "Here is your homework assignment”, Grigsby said, before concluding the ceremony, "I challenge you to tell your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren, and everyone who wasn’t yet born when this terrorist attack occurred. It’s up to us to educate the younger generations and keep the memory of this tragic event alive to honor those we lost and those first responders that sacrificed everything to help.”
Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day? Have we done enough to keep the candle burning and the memory alive? Fireman and Veteran Jay Bertha said it best "If we want a nation like the one we had before 9-11, we need to remember how we came together on 9-12”
