The Spirit of September 11th
WE must never forget the heroes of September 11th, the families and victims of the Attack on America, for those who have paid with their lives since that day and for others who are presently in harm's way, defending our freedom. We should also remember those from whom we inherited this great land and resolve to defend freedom and cherish our newly discovered "Let's Roll" spirit as the legacy we will leave for our children and grandchildren.
"Let's Roll"
Oh Babylon, our defenders are camped upon your deserts! God bless them each and every one.
By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat down,
yea, we wept,
When we remembered Zion....
For ... they that carried us away captive, Required of us a song; ...
How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
Let the words of my mouth,
and the meditations of my heart,
be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD ... Psalms
4 September 2003 ~ The war in Iraq has showcased the bravery and selflessness of a new generation of American soldiers. They have courageously carried the battle to the enemy in order to protect our homeland. They are engaging the evildoers, and by doing so, the evil doings of the evildoers are far from us. Our young defenders in Iraq are risking their lives everyday for us, their compatriots. They deserve our everlasting gratitude. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John: 15:13) And thank you President Bush. May God help you carry the great burden that is yours.
18 March 2003 ~ Our soldiers and those of Britain are now camped by the rivers of Babylon. War is imminent. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) said it much more eloquently than can I:
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead! In peace there's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favored rage; Then lend the eye a terrible aspect." ~~from King Henry the Fifth, Act: III, Scene: i, Line: 12 January 2003 ~ A new year begins and our country is at war still. We Americans are saddened and puzzled by attitudes of our friends and neighbors. Yet we persevere, for we know our cause is just. We are people of faith and heirs of freedom. Others may describe us as greedy and self-centered but where be there a people so willing to sacrifice their own blood and treasure to share the blessings of liberty with the world? We fight, and we fight hard, but not to conquer. We fight to liberate.
11 September 2002 ~Today in the Old Dominion where we were hit just ten miles from my home, our President George W. Bush spoke these words at the site of the attack: "What happened to our nation on a September day set in motion the first great struggle of a new century. The enemies who struck us are determined and they are resourceful. They will not be stopped by a sense of decency or a hint of conscience--but they will be stopped. A greater force is amassed against them. They are opposed by freedom loving people in many lands. They are opposed by our allies who have fought bravely by our side. And as long as terrorists and dictators plot against our lives and our liberty, they will be opposed by the United States Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines. We fight as Americans have always fought, not just for ourselves, but for the security of our friends, and for peace in the world. We fight for the dignity of life against fanatics who feel no shame in murder. We fight to protect the innocent, so that the lawless and the merciless will not inherit the earth."
10 September 2002 ~ On the one year remembrance of the Attack on America there is renewed interest in the historic American Rattlesnake Flags, with their venomous warning "DON'T TREAD ON ME"!
August 2002 ~ The Rolling Requiem On the one year anniversary of September 11th classical music lovers will be remembering the terror's dead with multiple performances of Mozart's "Requiem". Choirs and orchestras all over America and the world will perform "Requiem" tributes. On September 11th, 2002 the "Rolling Requiem," as it is named, will sound successively throughout the world's time zones beginning at 8:46 am EDT, the moment when the first plane struck the World Trade Center's north tower, remembering that dreadful day with a unified utterance. They chose the "Requiem" for its liturgical text which was written as a tribute for the dead. The designation "requiem" comes from a Latin Mass: "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine" which translates to "Give them eternal rest, O Lord".
July 2002 ~ They Are Trying To Kill Us! ~ The first anniversary of September 11th is upon us and there is talk of a loss of interest in our fight against the evildoers. Some are hoping to wish the bad things of terrorism away. We cannot do that - we are under mortal threat. Just this week four nicely dressed young men walked into a Christian school in Pakistan and began shooting to kill the small American, Australian and European students there. Failing, because the youngsters were hidden behind strongly fortified doors, the gunmen calmly walked into a nearby woods and found some of the school's employees hiding in a tree and shot them dead. A teacher heard the murderers exclaim "God is good!"
These people are trying to kill us! They are trying to kill our children and grandchildren!
1983 - 2 suicide car bombings embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut: 300 killed 1993 - World Trade Center bombing: only 6 killed 1995 - Saudi Arabia: 7 killed 1996 - Khobar Towers, Saudi Arabia: 19 killed 1997 - Pakistan: 5 U.S. oil-workers murdered 1998 - U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam: 263 killed, 5,000 injured 2000, USS Cole in Yemen: 17 killed 2001 - World Trade Center. When will we get the message? They are trying to kill us!
The American Service Flag ~ Do you have a family member serving in the Armed Forces? If so, are you displaying the American Service Flag? It is authorized to be displayed by immediate family members of a person serving in the Armed Forces during war, whether stationed overseas or not. It is white with a red border and one or more blue stars in the center; it has been most often hung vertically. The flag symbolizes the fact that the family using it has as many of its members in the armed forces as there are stars in the flag. It may be flown as a traditional flag beneath the US flag on a flagpole, but it is usually seen as a bannerette hung in a home or in a window. The flag was designed by Captain R.L. Queisser in 1917. History
June 2002 ~ We Are At WAR! ~ On June 2, 2002 the Reuters website carried this threat from an al Qaeda spokesman, Sulaiman bu Ghaith, warning the United States to get ready for another attack. "What is coming to the Americans will not, by the will of God, be less than what has come," the newspaper quoted him as saying in a statement. "So beware, America. Get ready. Get prepared. Put on the safety belt." Another al Qaeda spokesman, Bu Ghaith, a Kuwaiti-born cleric, warned that al Qaeda would continue to hit Americans, Jews and their targets, either "individuals or institutions."
May 2002 ~ I wrote the paragraph following shortly after the Attack on America but recently, as I travelled into Washington City I was overjoyed to see there is no longer a gaping hole in our Pentagon. Reconstruction is progressing and the building will be back in good order soon. Across the Potomac River I see the Washington Monument standing as a proud symbol of our land. Across the roadway from the damaged Pentagon are the rows upon rows of white crosses of men and woman who have put their lives on the line for our great land. Perhaps history will record September 11th as America's finest hour. Would not that be the ultimate rebuke to our enemies? We are experiencing a rebirth of the American spirit. We are calling it the Spirit of September 11th.
December 2001 ~ The horrendous events of September 11th that resulted in the many acts of heroism by our fellow countrymen, have made us all very proud to be American. We are now in the fight to preserve our civilization and to keep the beacon of freedom's light burning brightly for ourselves and for freedom loving peoples everywhere. We were attacked here in Virginia just a few miles from where I live, so I have daily reminders of the war that has ensued. I hear the military jets overhead at all times, protecting our nation's capital. We say it's "the sound of freedom".
September 2001 ~ Today, September 20th, 2001, President George Bush said "Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign unlike any other we have ever seen. . . . What is at stake is not just America's freedom. This is the world's fight. This is civilization's fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom."
September 11th, 2001 ~ is exactly one week after my sixtieth birthday. I was sitting at my computer at home, as is usual, and my husband phoned from his car. "Turn on the TV" he commanded. "An airplane has crashed into the World Trade Center!" I cried "Oh, my God". On TV, I saw the second plane explode into the other tower and I knew it was war. I cannot remember if I tried to find my children immediately or if it was after the Pentagon attack. My oldest son is at home in Herndon, so I feel he is as safe as are we in Springfield, but Jamey is downtown, in the capital city. How would he be able to come home to Virginia, as the bridges would surely be closed? His wife's skills are required at the hospital to attend to casualties expected from the Pentagon, so I feel he needs to be with his children. Rumors are flying about other attacks on the government. Although my earnest prayers are with my compatriots who came into harm's way this September morning by attending to their usual business, I want to know my family is safe. What is to come? It is an unsettled time. My homeland attacked just thirteen miles away; I never imagined seeing the Pentagon under siege!
We Will Never, Ever Forget!
Visit SeptemberEleven.net,
an outstanding memorial using stunning black and white photographs.
The famous American author E.B. White (1899-1985) described New York City as the "capital of everything". Although he never saw the city under attack, many years prior to September 11th, 2001 he wrote "In the mind of whatever perverted dreamer who might loose the lightning, New York must hold a steady, irresistible charm. ... This race--this race between the destroying planes and the struggling Parliament of Man--it sticks in all our heads, ... The city at last perfectly illustrates both the universal dilemma and the general solution, this riddle in steel and stone is at once the perfect target and the perfect demonstration of nonviolence, of racial brotherhood, this lofty target scraping the skies and meeting the destroying planes halfway, home of all people and all nations, capital of everything."
Since September 11th, the courageous acts of countless Americans have set a new standard for the nation. As the whole world watched the horror on television, it also witnessed what is best in our country and our character. As buildings collapsed, the American spirit soared. ~~Senator Edward Kennedy, 1 November 2001
When I addressed you for the first time as Governor in 1995, I invoked the spirit of New Yorkers at the Battle of Saratoga. At that crucible of American freedom, ordinary New Yorkers, farmers and merchants, fathers and sons, left their daily lives, rallied by the thousands to defeat the greatest empire on earth, and gave rise to American freedom. A hundred years from now, another Governor will invoke the spirit of September 11th. For on that day, thousands of New Yorkers -- firefighters, police officers, EMTs, Port Authority police, court officers, teachers and people from all walks of life -- responded to unspeakable horror with unrelenting heroism. Through them, we saw the triumph of the human spirit over the worst evil known to mankind. And so, the story of September 11th is very much the story of Saratoga, the story of New York, the story of one generation of New Yorkers who fought to secure freedom, and another who rallied to defend it. It's the story of heroes, a word that's been used often to describe New Yorkers over the past four months, and rightly so.
~~Governor George Pataki, 2002
While the storm clouds gather from sea to sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer:
God Bless America.
Land that I love
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America
My home sweet home.
God Bless America,
Land that I love
Stand beside her,
And guide her,
Through the night
With the light from above,
From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the ocean,
White with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home.
God bless America,
My home sweet home.
~ My Patriotic Pages ~
America Weeps
Rally 'Round the Flag
The American's Creed
Our Patriot Ancestors
This Land Is Your Land
Bless Those Who Serve
Declaration of Independence
1776
My Revolutionary Patriots
they risked their lives and fortunes
In Memory of Private Heming, WWI
Neddy's Nook on the Net ~ "The Spirit of September 11th"
The graphics displayed are courtesy of Ritva's Gallery and Country Patch Collections
Copyright © 2001~2006 by Edna Barney
~ A Neddy Creation ~
