9/11 Heroes Cannot Be Forgotten

I remember sitting in my 9th grade science class, ready to take an exam, when someone near me said, "I wonder if it has something to do with the Israel parade in New York this weekend." I looked at him perplexed, wondering what exactly he was talking about. He said, "You didn't hear? A plane hit the World Trade Center. It's on fire." The principal had apparently made an announcement while I was in jazz band, but we couldn't hear him over the music. I felt my heart sink, my stomach went into knots. For the rest of school, we watched the worst day of my life unfold on television. I couldn't understand who would do such a thing, or why. The victims of that fateful day were someone's kids, someone's parents, someone's friends, and they had harmed no one. I was only 13, but I grew up real fast that day.

Now, six years after Sept. 11, Americans, especially younger ones, are beginning to forget what happened that Tuesday morning. The azure sky was contaminated with a filthy snow of vaporized concrete and bones. The pure morning air was infected with the smell of burnt corpses. We all lost our innocence that day somehow; none of us had ever seen anything like that before and I pray we never will see anything of the sort again. But for some reason, many Americans have forgotten how badly we were hurt. I think about Sept. 11 every day; how can I not? How can I not remember and honor the memories of my fellow human beings who died senselessly, in the name of some perverted group of psychopaths who claim to be doing the work of Allah, when in reality the overwhelming majority of Muslims have condemned Sept. 11 as a disgrace. It still infuriates me, six years later. It was such a senseless act of violence; no matter what gripe bin Laden claims to have had with President Bush or the American government, the 3,000 people who were executed in a matter of a few hours on Sept. 11 had never done anything to deserve such a gruesome death. Today, six years since those attacks, I hear less and less discussion of what happened. I feel like my fellow Americans have forgotten about the abhorrent carnage that thousands suffered. Does it not bother anyone else? Has everyone else forgotten?

What about the hundreds of police and firefighters who ran into the burning towers? Most of us would have sprinted in the other direction, but those brave men and women ran up scores of stairs in the hopes of perhaps saving people they had never met. They did this because they were dedicated individuals committed to helping others. If there was a silver lining in the despicable events of Sept. 11, it was that Americans were shown who the real heroes are.

On Sept. 11, 2002, there were a plethora of memorials and ceremonies remembering the victims. This is no longer the case, and it seems that with every passing Sept. 11 anniversary, people seem to care less and less. Every year on Sept. 11, the names of the victims are still read at Ground Zero, but fewer people go. Every year, the day gets less and less media attention. To an extent, this can be associated with a desire on behalf of many not to dwell on the past. Additionally, some people deal with their anger and frustration by repressing their feelings. These two excuses, however, are illogical and disrespectful to the victims.

There is a fine line between obsessing over things we cannot change and not addressing our past. In the case of Sept. 11, it is essential that we keep the memories of our brethren alive, so that they did not die in vein. By remembering those taken from us too soon, we keep their spirits with us. If we too quickly forget the wrongs of the past, we will not be able to learn and grow from them. This may at first sound corny and tacky, but it's true; if we remember the Sept. 11 victims and remember the hell that was unleashed six years ago today, we can use it as a positive. It will motivate us to never let our guard down again. As for dealing with anger with repression, any psychological professional will tell you that holding in your feelings and letting them bottle up only results in negative consequences. It is healthy and normal for people to discuss their feelings, and I'm not quite sure why that isn't really happening with Sept. 11.

On this sixth anniversary of the worst day America has ever seen, it is important that we all take time out to remember what happened. Perhaps the answer would be making Sept. 11 a federal holiday similar to Columbus Day or Martin Luther King Day. At the very least, you must do your part to keep the memory of Sept. 11 victims alive, even if it just means talking about Sept. 11. Sept. 11 is rapidly fading from the memories of many Americans, and it is important to stop this disturbing trend.

Weekly Columnist Aaron Igdalsky is a 5th-semester political science major. His column appears on Tuesdays and he can be reached at Aaron.Igdalsky@UConn.edu.