Unsung Heroes

September 11^th, 2001 is one of those days you remember with such clarity, you know what you were doing when you heard the news, where you were, the weather, what you felt, absolutely everything.  Like me, you were probably glued to the news channels and watched replay after replay.  Every time I watched a replay, it was as if I experienced it again for the first time.  The abject horror I felt far surpassed anything Stephen King ever scared me with.  Together with the horror, I felt utter disbelief.  I think it is why I watched every replay.  For a while, I couldn’t get past the horror and disbelief, but somewhere in that state of shock, I began to consider the people working in those buildings at the time, what their final moments were like, and grateful some of them were literally vaporized.  I can’t wrap my head around a human being immediately being vaporized, but some were.  Even now, I can’t get the images out of my head of the people who thought they had a better chance of survival if they jumped, or maybe they were afraid of a painful death if they stayed, I don’t know. 

For a while all anyone talked about was Ground Zero.  Flight 93 was mentioned almost as an afterthought, and certainly never received the airtime Ground Zero did.  Over time, the details of Flight 93 began to emerge as family members who shared their final moments with their loved ones over the phone began to form a picture of the bravery those passengers exhibited.  Flight 93 was also the only recorder recovered from any of the hijacked planes.  I remain in awe of those passengers even today ten years later.  In a short period of time, they were able to recognize the situation for what it was, accept their death was inevitable regardless of what action they took, made a plan to overpower the hijackers and they intentionally crashed the plane, saving countless lives in DC.  There had to be panic among them, but someone stepped up to lead the passengers to do what would go down in history as a rare show of courage in these times.  As a result, Flight 93 did not claim a single additional life.  Those passengers did not die in vain, their deaths had meaning.  Yet even today, Flight 93 takes a backseat to Ground Zero.  I would like the passenger list of Flight 93 published, so their names can be credited for their sacrifice.  They represent some of the finest America has to offer.

We all honor the rescue efforts of the NYPD and FDNY, and the men who died trying to save others.  But some of those police, firefighters and EMS were women who were every bit as brave as the men.  I never hear mention of those women.  They deserve recognition as well, and they deserve to be written into the history books for their contributions on this day.  It is time we start to include women in the history of America for their contributions.  America was not built by white males alone, though many history books seem to be slanted in that direction. 

Also unrecognized for their contributions were the medical personnel, doctors and nurses who rushed to the scene to help triage and provide aid to the injured.  There were more than a hundred volunteers providing food and drink to the police, fire, EMS, and medical personnel so they could work 18 hours or more straight.  There were the construction workers who volunteered their time to help remove the debris so the search for survivors could continue.  The news crews were on site, documenting the remains of the Twin Towers, and reporting the rescue efforts.  Local hospitals and trauma centers were inundated with the injured, and many medical personnel may not have been at ground zero, but they worked double shifts for days, came in on their days off, and did what needed to be done to care for the survivors.  They also deserve recognition. 

What those terrorists did on that day exhibited the worst aspect of humanity.  What all those recognized and unsung heroes did that day was to display the best humanity has to offer.  We need to honor everyone, and not a select few for what they sacrificed, without understanding the cost of their service.  Everyone without exception has become gravely ill and some have died as a result of inhaling the toxic dust in the air immediately following and during the rescue effort.  In a twisted injustice, the families of the victims who died on September 11^th, 2001 were compensated for the death of their family members.  The heroes who rescued so many initially were denied health care treatment for the long term effects of the toxic dust.  Their emerging illnesses were not credited as being a direct result of inhaling the toxic dust on site.  They had to fight to be validated for their symptoms, and to receive the treatment they needed.  There are some still fighting to gain access to treatment and disability income because they inhaled the dust which included asbestos.  Of the people who have already died, no one has offered to compensate their family for their loss.  These unsung heroes are not even asking for compensation, they just want to be recognized and treated with dignity and respect.  They want their health care needs met, and if they are too sick to work, they need disability income for their family.  Isn’t that the very least we can do for them?