9-11 - A Legacy of Compassion

Like most Americans, today I am surrounded by memories of the tragic events of 2001.  Television, Facebook, radio and newspapers all remind us of the tragic events that took place this day thirteen years ago.  We are once again inundated with the slogan "NEVER FORGET".   Certainly we want to remember those who were lost. We should remember that there are those in the world who would harm us and always remember to be vigilant.  Many remember their emotions that day and their feelings of loss, helplessness and anger.  But is that all?

In September 2001 we were shaken to the very core by events so tragic, so bloody, so horrible, that they changed us irrevocably.  But this was not the first such September in our history.  On September 17, 1862 America suffered its bloodiest single day.  On the quiet fields of Sharpsburg Maryland 23,000 Americans became the casualties of the battle of Antietam.  Over 6,000 would die that day.  Like the events 139 years later, this loss of life shook the country with mourning, anger and feelings of helplessness.  There is no way to justify or mitigate that terrible loss and there is still no way to salve the wounds it caused.  Yet there is another legacy of that battle that is often overlooked. That legacy brings hope and healing and, that legacy is equally present in the events surrounding 9-11.

On every battlefield of the Civil War there were caregivers who risked life and limb to ease the suffering and save the lives of others.  Clara Barton was nearly killed by a bullet that pierced her clothing while tending to a man in the area of the East Woods at Antietam.  Later she would found the American Red Cross, influence the International Committee of the Red Cross to respond to non-military disasters and founded a first aid society.  Major Jonathan Letterman would take his experience from that battle and write the protocols for emergency medical treatment and evacuation; orders that directly influenced the medical response in New York and Washington DC over a century later.  Every doctor, nurse, medical orderly and civilian volunteer that touched a soldier that day in 1862 left a legacy of care, compassion and selfless service that should also be remembered.  In fact, thanks to the work of people like Letterman and Barton, countless lives have been saved over the years on battlefields and disaster scenes around the world.

The same is true of the events in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington on 9-11.  Firefighters, police, emergency medical personnel, military personnel and civilian volunteers rushed to the aid of their fellow men.  Men and women rushed to the aid of those they knew, and complete strangers, mindless of the dangers that faced them.  People like Cyril Richard "Rick" Rescoria who safely evacuated 2,687 employees of Morgan Stanley before going back into the tower to help others evacuate.  He was last seen on the 10th floor heading up the stairs when at 9:59 am the tower collapsed. He gave his life that others might live.

How many stories of selfless sacrifice took place in those buildings and planes that day?  We will never truly know.We have glimpses like the recordings from Flight 93 telephone transmissions.  We have the sacrifice of Fr. Mychal Judge, who died praying for the victims when the first tower fell.  We have countless stories from phone conversations, eyewitnesses and emergency radio traffic.  But is this what we tend to remember?  In all too many cases, these acts are all but forgotten.

It would be easy to spend this day angry.  It is proper to spend this day mournful.  But, let us not forget to spend this day thankful and inspired by the legacy of compassionate selfless service of the heroes of this day.  We can make the choice to use this day to promote good, or be held back by the evil it represents.  If we choose well, their example can make us all stronger.