Don’t Sanitize September 11

Monday, September 14th, 2009 Blog / Commentary by IARC

By Dino Teppara, Esq.
IARC Chairman

The dramatic and disturbing footage from September 11, 2001 that I watched last Friday evening on the History Channel served as a stark contrast to the solemn remembrance ceremonies held earlier that morning.

It brought back a range of emotions that many of us shared on that day: anger, despair, and disbelief. The graphic footage of Americans jumping to their deaths, personnel from the New York Police Department and Fire Department of New York rushing into the twin buildings, and the chaos and sheer physical destruction of that morning leaves one shell-shocked.

© 2004 by Dino Teppara

As painful as it is to remember and watch 9/11, we must. Sanitizing it will fog the minds of many Americans unsure of why our military presence is needed in Afghanistan. Recently, the Associated Press caused a stir by printing a picture of an American Marine who had just been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade by Taliban attackers in Afghanistan. The attack was a violent, physical one on the young Marine, who later died of his injuries.

Reading the story, learning about the Marine’s life and family, and seeing the picture, was difficult and heartbreaking. But yet, it was necessary. Those who fight terrorists face violence unleashed upon their minds and bodies, injuries that maim and disfigure and cause death. They face such violence knowingly, willing to sacrifice all for their love of America. They are heroes.

Those who died on September 11 unknowingly had this violence unleashed upon them. They were simply going to work. The thought that violent, terrorist attacks can be perpetrated on us in our own country, anytime and anywhere, makes one shudder.

By not sanitizing that day in 2001 and the violence unleashed against American civilians, we will better understand the violence faced by the American military today to keep us safe.