Friday, September 11, 2009

Bell Tolls for Victims of 9/11/01

There is something about a tolling bell at a memorial service that gets to me - every time. I was holding up O.K. this morning as I watched the Fox News coverage of Remembering 9/11/01. There was a moment of silence for the time that the two planes hit the World Trade Center in New York. There was a ceremony at the Pentagon, where Obama spoke and placed a wreath near the site where the third plane hit.

I did a few chores, which took me away from the TV set area. When I returned, I heard Megyn Kelly's interview with Bill Sammon - who briefly chronicled what had happened on that dreadful day and how President Bush reacted when he found out about the terrorist attack while sitting with a classroom filled with young children. Sammon mentioned that Bush thought about getting up abruptly and leaving, but in order to not cause panic and frighten the children, he waited until the teacher finished speaking.

I learned something new. According to Sammon, President Bush prayed as he got back on Air Force One, and he wept for those who died - and for our nation - which had been brutally attacked for the first time since Pearl Harbor.

It was interesting to hear some details about how many of the policies that President Bush put in place (which were constantly being criticized by the left) actually helped tremendously in preventing additional attacks over the following 7 1/2 years. Those who have been screaming about water boarding being "torture," should consider the torture that 2,974 people not only suffered from, but also DIED FROM on that dreadful day. No water boarded terrorist died. However, many additional pre-planned attacks were thwarted because of intense interrogation techniques.

The names of the heroes of Flight 93 were read at a memorial service held in Shanksville, PA. A bell tolled after the reading of each name. One woman, who started by stating, "my daughter..." and then read her name...got to me. I didn't catch the name of the daughter, because at that moment, the grief of that horrible day returned to me. My eyes welled up with tears and I sobbed.

The pain of that awful day runs deep; but I can't even imagine how deep the pain must still be for those who lost loved ones.

My two children were ages 17 and 14 when our nation was attacked by Islamic terrorists. In my post on 9/11/08, I wrote this in the comment section:


I was standing in the kitchen making breakfast for my two (then) high school aged children when I saw the first plane hit. I thought it may have been an accident - plane failure or pilot error. In the back of my mind, though, I wondered if it was done on purpose?

By the time my kids got to the table to eat, the second plane hit the towers. It was then that I knew it was terrorism.

The day only got worse...far worse.

Awful!!

We must NEVER FORGET!

September 12, 2008 9:20:00 AM PDT


WE MUST NEVER FORGET. In honor of all of those who lost their lives on that day, (including the heroic emergency responders who tried to get people out of the towers) and in respect for the families and friends who have to live with such loss for the rest of their lives - we must NEVER forget.

God bless all who mourn today - our entire nation, in fact. And may the families who grieve find comfort in Psalm 23 and the promises of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

*******

Former 9/11 posts:

Tuesday, September 11, 2007: Remembering September 11, 2001

Monday, September 11, 2006: 9/11 Survivor: Sense of Urgency to Share Gospel

Monday, September 12, 2005: The Man Who Predicted 9/11

7 comments:

GMpilot said...

Well said.

Make sure you send a copy of this to Ann Coulter.

Christinewjc said...

Really GM? I'm surprised. Thank you!

You usually don't agree with (or like) most of what I write.

So...for what reason do you think that Ann Coulter needs to read it?

sh007r said...

"that dreadful day and how President Bush reacted when he found out about the terrorist attack while sitting with a classroom filled with young children. Sammon mentioned that Bush thought about getting up abruptly and leaving, but in order to not cause panic and frighten the children, he waited until the teacher finished speaking."
.
I have long thought and offered as somewhat proof that President Bush's reaction "Set the tone" for America and the world in that very moment.
Imagine what might have happened had Pres Bush jumped up and ran out w/ secret service in tow. The world would have trembled. People would have panicked.
Many people (& many muslims) might have been harmed or killed within hours or days, stocks the following Monday would have fallen even more.
Children would have been terrified.
.
We are so lucky, no, we are so very blessed that Mr. Bush was our President that day....that moment.
I believe deep in my heart that God was there with him and Pres Bush listened, thankfully he had much experience as a Christian how to do so in a moment that changed everything.
God Bless America and President George Bush.

sh007r said...

p.s. I twittered about you a day or two ago. Has traffic picked up at all?

Just curious how well one tweet mention might work.

Christinewjc said...

Hi shOO7r -

Nice to see a comment from you again!

I teared up as I read your comment about President Bush. We didn't even realize how good we had it with a President like him!

Now? We suffer with corruption and Marxism. I'm so sad today...doubly sad.

Which day did you send the tweet? I did experience a doubling of visitors a few days back! Thanks! Please feel free to tweet Talk Wisdom more often!

God bless,
Christine

GMpilot said...

CJW: "You usually don't agree with (or like) most of what I write.

So...for what reason do you think that Ann Coulter needs to read it?"


Well, there was her comments in '06 on the Today show about 9-11 widows:

" COULTER: “These self-obsessed women seem genuinely unaware that 9-11 was an attack on our nation and acted like as if the terrorist attack only happened to them. They believe the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony. Apparently, denouncing bush was part of the closure process.”

“These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband’s death so much.”


Mat Lauer read those words, quoting verbatim from her book, "Godless". (Yes, she was there to defend herself.)
I for one am quite certain that any one of those widows would rather have her husband back, however much money they might have now.

On Feb. 13th of this year, Glenn Beck professed his deep concern for Beverly Eckert, a 9/11 widow who died in a plane crash in Buffalo a few days earlier. One would never know that only a year earlier, he'd said:

"You know, it took me about a year to start hating the 9/11 victims’ families. It took me about a year. Um, and I had such compassion for them and I really, you know, I wanted to help them, and I was behind — let’s give them money, let’s get them started, and all of this stuff. And I really didn’t — all the 3,000 victims’ families, I don’t hate all of them, I hate about, probably about ten of them. But when I see 9/11 victim family, you know, on television, or whatever, I’m just like, ‘Oh, shut up.’ I’m so sick of them. Because they’re always complaining. And we did our best for them. And again, it’s only about ten."

Come to think of it, maybe you should send a copy to Beck, too. He probably won't read it, though.

I have agreed with you on occasion. Not often, but I have. This is one of those occasions.

sh007r said...

I don't remember which day.
When is your next article? I'll tweet it then.