It’s been 15 years of parents not seeing their children grow up. Children not seeing their parents grow old. Brothers and sisters no longer with brothers and sisters. Friends without friends. Coworkers without coworkers. Neighbors without neighbors. Students without teachers and teachers without students.
15 years of missed first communions, confirmation, baptisms, bar/bat mitzvahs, Ramadan fasting, Mecca pilgrimages, Namaste Greetings, and enlightenment. 15 years of missed first grades, first dates, proms, sweet 16 parties, school graduations, first jobs, marriages, and grandchildren - to list a few.
15 years of not seeing a loved one grow old, wedding anniversaries, retirements, lifetime achievement awards, joining the AARP, moving to a 55 plus community, traveling and doing what they really wanted to do now that the kids are all grown and they don’t have to work any longer.
15 years of wondering how many of those that perished could have been the next Schweitzer, Einstein, Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Edison, Beethoven, Picasso, or Hemmingway, just to name a few.
15 years of wondering how many medical miracles, literary works, paintings, songs, poems, and political icons were lost in the thousands that died. The whole world could have been impacted by their potential numerous scientific, educational, artistic, political and philosophical contributions if this had not happened.
15 years of wondering how many other medical patients, fire victims and victims of crime that did not survive because of the many first responders killed on 9-11 that could no longer respond.
15 years of wondering what went wrong, and if it could have been prevented.
15 years of heartbreak, sorrow and despair for thousands.
But 15 years of marveling at the courage and heroism of the true heroes that were not concerned about their own safety – just the safety of others. Many of the non-first responders also risked their lives and perished. They all ran into areas that others were running from to help those that couldn’t help themselves. It doesn’t ease any of the pain and suffering, but it demonstrates how many great people there are in this country.
IT HAS BEEN 15 YEARS BUT WE MUST AFFIRM THAT WE WILL NEVER FORGET THE HEROES AT ANY COST, AND VOW THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
GOD BLESS THE VICTIMS, THE FAMILIES AND THE FIRST RESPONDERS, NOT JUST FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS, OR THE NEXT 15 MORE YEARS - BUT FOREVER.
GOD BLESS AMERICA.