To be sure, there have been defeats and setbacks along the way, the most recent of which approaches it's tenth year of remembrance. As America moves toward that day, she is distracted by many concerns and challenges, both material and spiritual, both foreign and domestic. May her children never forget that great wounding of her soul and the lessons of her pain.
On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11, a non-stop flight from Boston's Logan Airport to Los Angeles, took off at 7:59 a.m. The plane carried eleven crew and eighty one passengers, including Islamic jihadists who would hijack the aircraft fifteen minutes after take off. Two men, seated in first class, row two, stabbed two unarmed flight attendants preparing for cabin service.
Upon observing the attack and seeing others attempting to force their way into the cockpit, passenger Daniel Lewin, a four year veteran of the Israeli military, attempted to stop the hijackers and was himself killed by another man seated directly behind him.
Throughout the ordeal, two attendants carried on conversations with authorities on the ground, providing descriptions and seat assignments for each of the Al Queda members. The two, Betty Ong and Amy Sweeney, stated that the plane was flying erratically and rapidly descending. At 8:44 a.m., the last communique came from Sweeney, who said: "Something is wrong. We are in a rapid descent. We are all over the place - flying low, very, very low - way too low!" At 8:46:10, American 11, a massive Boeing 767, deliberately was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. All on board, and an unknown number in the building, were killed instantly.
United Airlines Flight 175, traveling again from Logan Airport to Los Angeles, departed at 8:14 a.m. with nine crew and fifty six passengers. Approximately thirty minutes later, between 8:42 and 8:46 a.m., the flight was commandeered by attackers wielding knives, mace, and the threat of a bomb. Members of the crew were stabbed and both pilots were killed within five minutes. At 8:47 a.m., the plane changed beacon codes twice and, at 8:51 a.m., deviated from it's assigned altitude. One minute later, Lee Hanson, at home in Easton, Conn., received a cell phone call from his son Peter. Peter told him that the plane he was on had just been hijacked, stating, "I think they've taken over the plane - an attendant has been stabbed and someone else up front may have been killed. The plane is making strange moves." A second call to his father at 9:00 a.m. was even more urgent: "It's getting bad, Dad. I think we're going down. I think they intend to go to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building. Don't worry, Dad. If it happens, it'll be very fast...My God, my God!" Lee Hanson heard a woman scream in the background, then...silence. He immediately turned on his television and, in that instant, watched live as United 175 slammed into the World Trade Center's South Tower. At 9:03:11, he had seen all on board, including his son, and an untold number in the tower, die instantly in an inferno of fire and steel.
Within 102 minutes, both skyscrapers would implode, killing 2,587. Of those bodies, only 200 would be recovered intact. Searchers would ultimately discover 19,893 separate body parts.
American airlines Flight 77 departed from Washington's Dulles Airport that morning at 8:20 a.m. with six crew members and fifty eight people aboard. Cruising at 35,000 feet, the plane was taken over by Islamic radicals at approximately 8:52 a.m. Two minutes later, the aircraft turned southward, deviating from it's original flight path. The transponder was turned off in another two minutes and, despite repeated attempts by air traffic controllers, no further communication with the cockpit was achieved. Passenger Barbara Olsen, wife of United States Solicitor General Ted Olsen, made two calls to her husband, the second occurring at about 9:20 a.m. The Solicitor General informed his wife concerning the two previously reported hijackings and the subsequent attacks in lower Manhattan - she displayed no signs of panic before her call was cut off at 9:26 a.m. At 9:29 a.m., the autopilot was disengaged with the 757 flying at 7,000 feet, thirty eight miles west of the Pentagon. Five minutes later, American 77 banked 330 degrees to the northeast and rapidly descended. The hijacker-pilot thrust the throttles to maximum power and dove, crashing into the massive military complex at 9:37:46, traveling at 530 m.p.h. All on board, and one hundred twenty five persons on the ground, perished.
United Airlines Flight 93 took off from Newark international Airport bound for San Francisco at 8:42 a.m. The first forty six minutes of the flight were routine; however, at 9:24 a.m., ground authorities informed the cockpit of other planes having been hijacked. As pilots aboard Flight 93 asked for confirmation, the attackers struck. The plane lost seven hundred feet of altitude in ten seconds. The captain could be heard issuing a distress call as sounds of a physical struggle ensued. At 9:32 a.m., a hijacker made an announcement to the cabin, stating that a hijacking was in progress, all should remain seated, and that a bomb was on board. At least twelve people spoke to friends and family from cell phones and learned of the three previously successful attacks. The jihadists knew that these calls were being made and didn't seem to care - it would be their great mistake, not realizing the level of courage many on board possessed. According to one call, a vote was taken to decide whether to rush the terrorists in an attempt to retake control of the plane. The passenger assault began at 9:57 a.m. Incredibly, the uprising lasted for six long, unendurable minutes - the fight was recorded in it's entirety by the cockpit voice recorder. During the battle, the hijacker pitched and rolled the aircraft repeatedly in an attempt to throw the passengers off balance. At 10:00:08 a.m., the pilot was heard to say, "Shall we finish it off?" Eighteen seconds later as the plane continued to pitch and roll, a passenger yelled, "In the cockpit - if we don't, we die!" At 10:02:23, a hijacker screamed, "Allah Ahkbar, Allah Ahkbar" - Allah is the Greatest, All is the Greatest. Judging that the passengers were seconds from overwhelming them, the terrorists plunged the nose of the aircraft downward and turned the controls hard right - the plane rolled on it's back and , incredibly, with the sounds of passengers still attacking, United 93 slammed into an empty field near Shanksville, Pa. The location was twenty minutes flying time from the day's fourth intended target and perhaps America's most significant symbol of freedom - the United States Capitol.
Drawing from reservoirs of bravery and selflessness which ran deep, the heroes of Flight 93, while not saving the day, surely struck a blow and miraculously, even in sacrificial death, won a victory for freedom. For them, the morning of September 11, 2001 dawned unto a day of eternal destiny. For them, that cockpit door was their gate of hell and, by the grace of God, it did not prevail against them. A grateful nation will always remember them, will always stand in awe of them, and forever preserve the memory of them in the tear-filled temple of it's heart.
Only one other day in American history rivals September 11, 2001 as a day of infamy. On that occasion as well, the quiet peace of a perfect morning was pierced - destroyed by demons of death from the sky. Twenty four hours after the treacherous December 7, 1941 attack upon the American Pacific Fleet lying at peace at it's moorings at Pearl Harbor, 2,403 American boys lay dead and a stunned nation heard from it's president words of determination and prophecy - words that were needed then, now, and always, so that by them, we might be awakened and filled with a terrible resolve:
"Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory."
Every American of this generation has a responsibility, a moral obligation, to remember each of the 2,974 souls who died and how they were violently thrust into eternity that pristinely beautiful and utterly horrific late summer day. One such soul, representative of all who perished trying to save others, was police officer George Howard, 44, a man who had received a Medal of Valor for guiding hundreds to safety during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Upon learning of the attacks, Howard, enjoying a rare day off, rushed to the scene and went in among the chaos that was the North Tower - he would not survive the morning.
When President George W. Bush met with the victim's families shortly after the attacks, George's mother handed the deeply moved leader her fallen son's badge, #1012. "I gave it to him," she said, 'in honor of my son, and all the police, firefighters, and rescue workers who were killed. I did it so that they would be remembered. The president told me that is was an honor to receive it and that he would keep it with him - always." Indeed, on September 20, 2001, when the commander in chief addressed a mournful people, he told of George Howard's quiet heroism and raised his shield to the nation, telling all that "This is my reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end."
In the days and years to follow, thousands more American heroes, in the form of her protecting sons and daughters, have lost their lives - or had lives forever altered - as they nobly stood watch and then bravely, and with determination, advanced to attack enemies of freedom abroad. At this very moment, this nation's finest continue to offer their lives and their futures to the task of defending liberty. How remarkably selfless and awe inspiring to see those so young willing to sacrifice all of their tomorrows so that millions might have today, every day, lived in the miraculous blessings of freedom.
Those who are children of this God kissed land dare not forget that they are the heirs of their Father's covenant and creed, a solemn compact, made among themselves, representing us, in the sight of God, for all time - based upon absolute truth, equality, life, and liberty for all. As President John F. Kennedy proclaimed in words still echoing to a listening world:
"Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike - that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans...Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty. This much we pledge, and more."
In 1852, abolitionist Wendall Phillips proclaimed, "Liberty requires eternal vigilance." Indeed, vigilance is the key and Phillip's words ring true in both the earthly and the spiritual realms. God is gracious, loving, and forgiving we know, but we also know, if we are truly honest, that lady liberty's torch, at times, seems to be flickering. We must be reminded; however, that America has faced many dangers, toils, and snares in the defense and advance of freedom and, with a firm reliance on Divine Providence, has fanned into flame the fire and light again and again. President Abraham Lincoln challenged his generation unto greatness and moral courage, and it responded. Addressing Congress in 1862, he noted:
"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disentrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country. Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free - honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last, best hope of earth. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just - a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud and God must forever bless."
Similarly, President Franklin D. Roosevelt challenged his generation - the generation which triumphed over the great depression and over the evil ideologies of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan with blood, tears, toil, sweat, and sacrifice. Upon the unique occasion of his third inaugural address, in 1941, FDR proclaimed:
The destiny of America was proclaimed in words of prophecy spoken by our first president in 1789. "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government," the indispensable man said, "are justly considered and finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." FDR then came back to his own eloquence, linking time with time and father with sons:"In Washington's day, the task of the people was to create and weld together a nation. In Lincoln's day, the task of the people was to preserve the nation from disruption from within. In our day, the task of the people is to save that nation and it's institutions from disruption from without. To us there has come a time, in the midst of swift happenings, to pause for a moment and take stock - to recall what our place in history has been and to rediscover what we are and what we may be."
"If we lose that sacred fire, if we let it be smothered with doubt and fear, then we shall reject the destiny which Washington strove so valiantly and so triumphantly to establish. In the face of great perils never before encountered, our strong purpose is to protect and to perpetuate the integrity of democracy. For this we muster the spirit of America and the faith of America. We do not retreat. We are not content to stand still. As Americans, we go forward, in the service of our country, by the will of God."
These examples of tasks fulfilled in the cause of freedom inspire us still and reveal to us a dawn of hope, a day of possibilities, and a deepening sense of the challenge we face in our time. It is not too late, but is the night approaching? My fear and concern is not even in the decline, decay, and decadence of our society - as destructive and debilitating as it is. Rather, it is in the listlessness of America's churches at such a time as this. God's people must strive to fulfill His purposes and stand upon His promises, ministering to a lost world and a wayward nation in courage, truth, and love to the glory of the Father. Until that occurs, truly occurs, we dare not cluck our tongues in disgust and look down our self righteous noses in judgment, for the Scripture reminds us that "judgment begins at the house of God." God forgive us, for we have sinned, should be our first and most important prayer of penitence and confession.
We live in an extraordinary nation with blessings untold - it has been so for over four hundred years. We must remember our heroes and our heritage, always. But always remember that heroes of yesteryear and heritage are past - the champions of liberty now sit in a stadia bedecked of heritage, as spectators, witnesses, expecting us to now fulfill our commitment, to answer our call, to complete our task.
Every generation of Americans must be willing to 'proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof.' Truly, all must strive to speed the day, laboring in double time, so that from such a moral bellwether, the echoing cadence of freedom's march might redound along the corridors of time unto all nations. We have been reminded afresh, again, of the paradoxical truth that freedom is both fragile and strong. Fragile when left to itself, taken for granted, abused, and undefended by a sleeping, self absorbed people. Strong when embraced by all, loved and revered, protected by all the faithful watchmen upon the wall. That is the lesson of September 11, 2001. That is the lesson of our recurring history. That is our never ending task.
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