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Opinion The Battalion Page 5B • Thursday, September 11,2003 Remembering 9-11 ledge and earn from your own. Ve Do |; A new crop of heroes For years I complained that I nothing really significant had ! happened on my birthday. ! For my 21 si, that wish unfortu- nately came true. ! That morning, riding on the !bus, I faintly heard the news !on the radio. Straining to Ihear, my eyes widened and ! my stomach dropped when I I heard what had happened. I • raced to the SCC and every Isingle news Web site was ! down, except for one that had ! a picture showing the second [plane right before it stuck. I That night we had a party — it I was bittersweet. ! It was very nice to see a [new crop of heroes entering 'into mainstream. We no [longer looked to athletes as [our heroes, we turned to [those individuals who risk their lives daily to serve and ! protect us, namely police offi- jcers and firefighters. ; I was encouraged by our ; country coming together and ! ‘looking to God for guidance. Patriotism was the lifeblood of ;the United States. However, I ; am discouraged at how quick- ; ly we turned our back on God. ; Patriotism is now just fashion- ; ably “cool." ; It is amazing how far we ; have come, however, it is ! more amazing how much fur- ; ther we still need to go. Colin Linerode Class of 2003 I : Fire of patriotism [ 9-11 shocked everyone, but [there are a few people who ! think America has forgotten the seriousness of this tragic day. [ That is definitely not the case. ' I took a trip to New York with [ a choir this past year. When [we went to Ground Zero, [there were people every- [ where. The number of pres- ; ents and memorials that had been set up all along the site ; of the fallen towers was amaz- ; ing. A light New York snow fell ; around us; the snow looking ; eerily similar to the ash that ■ showered from the Twin • Towers on that horrible day. ; We all stood with our eyes ; closed. The first person to start crying was my girlfriend, ; Melissa. Everyone followed [after that. I pulled Melissa close to me and wiped the ; tears from her eyes, all while she was muttering, “Those poor people, those poor, poor ; people.” As I opened my eyes, ; I looked out on to the vast pit ; where the buildings once stood and then stared at the ; huge American flag hanging over it. The flag seemed to be ; guarding the site, much like ;the way so many American ;soldiers are now protecting ; our country. ; 9-11 ignited the fire of patri- ; otism into America’s then cold and uncaring hearts. We have ;once again become a nation ; united. This is the type of sup port that America needs to show to make sure that our [families will be safe now and forever. Stuart Ladner Class of 2007 A New Yorker in Aggieland I was an undergraduate at [the University at Albany in INew York in Fall 2001 on that [horrible day. I was sound ♦asleep in my warm bed when tmy roommate woke me up to [tell me that a plane had crashed in New York City. At first, we all thought it was -some bad accident, some sort of traffic control mistake. That is, until we watched in helpless horror as the second plane hit the tower right before our eyes on live television. I was dumbstruck. How could this be happening? The skyline I recognized as home was being forever changed. The rest of the day was like a bad dream. All the cell phones were busy due to overwhelming traffic. People panicked as they tried desper ately to contact friends and family living and working in the City. I was proud to be a New Yorker that day. The feeling of support and unity felt on cam pus and throughout the state was overwhelming. But it was n’t until I moved to Texas last year to work at Texas A&M that I felt the real impact of the tragedy. Seeing the photo graphs of the “Standing for America” campaign touched me beyond words, as a New Yorker and as an American. I can sincerely say that I feel privileged and proud to be part of the Aggie Family. Daphne Ruoff A&M Employee New sense of pride I was at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio on an Air Force Junior R.O.T.C. field trip when I heard the news of the 9-11 attacks. The first thing I did was call my family in Pittsburgh to see if every one was OK, because I was very unclear on where the plane in Pennsylvania had crashed. When I found out it had crashed in Somerset, not the actual city of Pittsburgh, I felt relief and I thanked God I had not lost any family mem bers on this tragic day. The one thing I did lose though was the arrogance that America was invincible to such horrors. In losing that arrogance, I gained a new sense of pride on how blessed I am to live in such a great nation and a determination to continue living the American way of life no matter who may threaten it. Brian Bersani Class of 2006 A sort of silent understanding It was my first semester at Te*as A&M, and a day that I know no one has forgotten. I was sitting in my political sci ence class when our profes sor came in and said the World Trade Center had been struck by a plane, and that we should all go back home and watch the news. Since I lived on campus, I invited many off- campus students back to the dorm so they could see what had happened. The hours after that were like a dream, or more like a nightmare. I witnessed the second crash live, and as I watched as the towers fell to the ground I felt like every thing that I knew to be true had changed. Never in my life had I felt so helpless and vul nerable. All I wanted to do was to go home. As we sat there for hours in front of the TV, I thought about my life, my family and my friends. Things were clearer, priorities were made and life as I knew it had changed, but perhaps for the better. That night, as I stood in Reed Arena for Breakaway, among thousands of Aggies, weeping for the losses and praying for guidance, I realized that we were closer now than ever as a generation. The solemn nod from strangers gave me a sort of silent understanding that we all were together on this, and we would make it through. Erin Price Class of 2005 Praying for those who suffered I had just left my dual credit history course at the local community college when I turned on the radio. I heard people talking about some sort of fire. As I reached for ward to change it to an actual music station, I heard the DJ exclaim “Dear Lord, one of the World Trade Center buildings has just collapsed!” I was in such shock that I almost totaled my car at the next stoplight. All thoughts of going to school forgotten, I drove home. No one was there, my parents at work, my brother at school ... like I should have been. I turned on the TV, and watched in horror as they played the same reel of video footage over and over again; the World Trade Center. One of the two towers is on fire, the black smoke pouring out of it in an unimag inable scale. A plane, Flight 175, entering from the right of the screen. It disappearing behind the other tower, the South Tower. Then a gigantic fireball erupts from the side we can see. My mouth is dry. I can’t even begin to imagine the horrifying scene those people are facing. I can’t do anything, but I want to be the guy who punishes those responsible. All I can do is pray for those who have suf fered, hope that the guilty are caught and support those men and women who form the thin blue, lime green, and camo line between us and those who would see us hurt. James Ripps Class of 2006 Encouragement and inspiration I’d like to send a letter of encouragement and inspira tion to those who read this article. We need not recall the travesty of the attacks on New York at this time but the unconquerable determination of our nation to rebuild, revive and press on. , Bear Orozco Class of 2005 Smell of the dust I’m from a suburb in New Jersey where many people commute to New York for work. I was asleep when my mom called and asked me to turn on the television. How many people did I know in the Trade Center? I later found out that about 150 people from my county lost their lives that day. My mother is a school bus driver and took students home that after noon, not knowing which ones lost one or both of their parents. She had to wait for every student to enter their house in case no one was home to let them in. Tragically, some of^ those children did lose a parent in the attacks. Cars were left abandoned in out town’s park-and-ride. The smell of the dust cloud provid ed a grim realization of the tragedy for weeks afterward. To this day my town is still covered in red, white and blue. Two years later the losses continue. I lost a high school friend in Operation Iraqi Freedom, which is a large part of the war against terror that spawned from 9-11. He was killed when he went to help a pregnant woman by a check point in Iraq. That woman had explosives strapped to her. 9-11 means something dif ferent to us all. I, for one, take more pride in everything I do and am a much better person because of it. I pray for the strength to face tomorrow and for the lives of those on the battlefield. I can never forget what happened, and I will for ever be thankful for the women and men fighting to rid the world of evil. Shannon Galary Class of 2004 United as Aggies Sept. 11, 2001 was a date that all of us will remember. It was a day that changed all of our lives — and the very course of history. We watched in horror as our countrymen were massacred on live tele vision. I’ll always remember where I was, what class I was in and what I was wearing. The year following the terror ist attacks was not measured from Jan. 1 to Jan. 1 — it was one measured from September to September. We waved the flag and stood proudly by our service men and women, public servants and government offi cials. What a difference two years makes. The terrorists are win ning, my fellow Aggies and Americans. Two years later we are squabbling about being politically correct. Our own university would not allow us to fly the flag from dorm win dows. We criticized the gov ernment for pursuing military action against our enemies. We stopped believing that dreams were worth some thing. Dreams and ambition — and American pride built the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the airplanes that dam aged and destroyed. No mat ter how much we struggle, nothing will ever stop American dreams from scrap ing the sky. We are united as Aggies and as Americans, and to bor row a quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s classic poem “Ulysses,” “We are one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Chris Ryan The day the world changed Class of 2007 On Sept. 11, 2001, like a normal Tuesday morning, I was getting ready for class, when I received a phone call from my Mom. She told me to turn on CNN because a plane had just crashed into one of the World Trade Center Towers. I turned on CNN just in time to see the second plane hit. I remember thinking, “there was no way that was an accident” and becoming over whelmingly frightened at the possibility that World War III had just begun. It was no longer a typical morning. After a calming phone call from my father, I gathered myself together enough to go to class. While in class, we learned that a plane had hit the Pentagon and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Some left class to call relatives and friends. Others of us just tried to digest the news and comprehend what EDITORIAL A DAY OF INFAMY Active citizens are the key to stopping terrorism It’s hard to imagine that two years have passed since the atrocious attacks that robbed nearly 3,000 innocent Americans of their lives. No doubt for the families of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks and the Flight 93 crash it has seemed like a lifetime. All American citizens — no matter their race, religion or eth- nicity — should always ask themselves how they can help fight terrorism and make a difference in the post-Sept. 11 world. The most important thing is to make sure our country keeps its focus on the ongoing fight against terrorism. Let’s raise our collective voices and state clearly to the cowards who commit acts of ter ror that the slaughter of innocent men, women and children any where will not be tolerated. Americans cannot forget the soldiers who are fighting and dying to protect the United States. Half of our active-duty Army is overseas along with a quarter of our reserves. No matter what one thinks of the justification for the war in Iraq, all Americans should agree that the brave men and women on the front lines of the war on terror deserve as much support as possible. “Support the troops” is a popular saying, but Americans must translate this catch phrase into direct action by donating blood and sending messages and care packages to the troops. The most important thing Americans can do, however, is to remain well-informed of the events and issues that directly affect the troops. The actions of officials must be scrutinized, and Americans must voice their concern if they believe the gov ernment is putting American troops in danger. Americans must also make it clear if they believe government is losing its focus on the war on terror to ensure that the day of infamy two years ago is not repeated. THE BATTALION EDITORIAL BOARD Kditor in Chief Managing Kditor Opinion Editor Metro Editor Sommer Hamilton Elizabeth Webb Jenelle Wilson Sarah Szuminski Metro Asst. Member Member Member C.E. Walters Collins Ezeanyim Matt Maddox Matt Rigney The Battalion encourages letters to tin; editor. Letters must be 200 words or less and include the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be sub mitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1 111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebattalion.net Maroon Out shirt report inaccurate We, the leadership of Class Councils, are extremely disap pointed in the Sept. 10 article regarding the audit of the 2002 Maroon Out account, particu larly after our efforts to fully inform you of the details of the audit. We feel that this article reflects poorly on the MSC and the hardworking students who volunteer their time for the tradition of Maroon Out. While we take full responsibility for the situation with the 2002 Maroon Out account, the infor mation portrayed in your arti cle was inaccurate. According to the audit report, the auditors were unable to determine if the loss was cash or inventory. Nowhere in the audit report does it state that $61,000 was lost. In addition, there is no evi dence to indicate that any one person took the money, as your article implies. We expect a higher level of professional ism from The Battalion to report the facts. Our con stituents deserve to know the truth. Meredith Talley Senior Class President Jeremy Crow 2003 Maroon Out Director Cindy Smith Executive Director was happening. In a way, World War III had begun and the world that I knew was no more. The feeling of security was gone, and fear had entered where there had been none. My mem ories of Sept. 11, 2001 will always be seared into my heart and mind. It was the day the world changed. Brieanne Porter Class of 2003 Banding together The anniversary of 9-11 is upon us for the second time. This time, it seems to have crept up without the terrible shock of the actual events, and without the worried fanfare of the first anniversary. But the anniversary of something still so recent, horrific and, truth be told, unfinished brings about a strange combination of emo tions - grief for those who lost their lives, pride in our nation and in our troops, and a reminder that in only a second, everything can change. I wasn’t there and I didn’t per sonally know anyone who died in the attacks. In fact, I was thousands of miles away in Texas. But that didn’t make my reaction any less strong or my inclination to help any less compelling. I remember watch ing the television set on that early morning, trying to grasp what played out like some big- budget Hollywood creation as it unfolded - I, like other Americans, kept my eyes glued to the television, my fingers flip ping through the newspaper for days, searching for some solu tion, some explanation, some way to cope. And like so many others, I found no explanation, but I did find hope - hope in a nation banding together, hope in my neighbor and hope in tomorrow. I became inspired by the stories of rescue and by the millions who donated money, time and their very blood in a time of crisis. So on this sad anniversary, I will find cause to celebrate. Remember on this day that the time to serve your fellow man is not only when crisis strikes, but every day. The best memorial for the victims of 9- 11 cannot be created in stone or steel, but by donating blood, volunteering your time or appreciating each moment in this great land. God Bless America. God Bless Mankind. Meredith Best Class of 2004