Dear Mothers and Fathers with Children 23 Years Old and Younger:
Tell your children your story about this very moment 20 years ago. Tell them about September 11, 2001.
Where you were upon first hearing that the continental United States was under attack without a clue of what was coming next. Tell them about your fear, your sorrow, and your anger. Tell them about being glued to the television night after night waiting for miracles that seldom arrived. Tell them about how you tried to explain to them what happened 20 years ago and tell them about what we have learned since.
Tell them about the explosions of airliners as pilots purposely crashed into the two towers of the World Trade Center, about the people frantically running away from the consuming clouds of death, and about the first responders who were running to the tragedy to try to help. Tell them about the trapped survivors who opted to jump 40, 50, or 60 stories, and the bangs those souls made when landing on a nearby roof. Tell them about the 2,763 lives lost in New York City, the 125 at the Pentagon, and the 40 heroes on United Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pa.
Tell your children about the whisper in President George W. Bush’s ear at the Florida elementary school and his stare once learning of the attacks. Tell them about Congress gathering on the Capitol steps to sing, “God Bless America,” and about the men and women who waved Old Glory on those interstate overpasses. And tell them about the 7,000 soldiers who were killed in action during the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, and about the 33,000 military members who were injured in the line of duty.
Explain to them why our hatred for the 19 hijackers and for Osama bin Laden wrongly turned into prejudice against an entire people.
Tell them why the tragedy took place, and why it could again even after the longest war in American history.
Sincerely,
The Land of the Free
