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