Standing together on day that changed the world
“Let’s roll.”
Those words, spoken 20 years ago by Todd Beamer before he and fellow passengers rushed the cockpit on United Airlines Flight 93 to stop four al-Qaeda terrorists from using the plane as a missile, galvanized America.
Those words spoke of courage, sacrifice and solidarity.
As the nation watched the 9/11 Twin Towers terrorist attack unfold on TV in collective shock and horror — the planes striking each tower, the collapsing buildings, the rushing cloud of debris coating all who tried to outrun it equally in gray — there were no partisan onlookers.
This had happened to us . We were truly a United States.
And the world stood with us. The French newspaper Le Monde declared “We Are All Americans,” a sentiment echoed worldwide as leaders professed support and denounced terrorism as ordinary citizens placed flowers at American embassies en masse.
That day saw humanity at its worst and its best.
“Let’s roll” — a call to action. We the people had to do something, we had to help. Long lines stretched to donate blood at Red Cross and other blood banks thousands of miles from New York. Firefighters and rescue workers poured into the city from other states to assist with the Herculean efforts, and restaurants fired up the grills to provide free food to those working on the scene.
We had no reference point for this, an attack on U.S. soil of such magnitude, and one so successful in its carnage. Not since Pearl Harbor some 60 years earlier, lost to the memories of many Americans. We took in each piece of grim news as it unfolded: Firefighters climbed tower stairs to get people out, never to walk down themselves; the chirping sounds from the Ground Zero rubble were cell phones called in vain by those desperate to reach the owners; people were putting up missing posters hoping to find loved ones who had worked in the towers but who had yet to show up at home or in a hospital.
It was time to mourn together — many, many times.
And not just the workers in the Twin Towers — the sacrifice of first responders was staggering: 23 New York City police officers, 37 police officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, and 343 firefighters perished on 9/11.
Firefighters and police in dress uniforms. Flag-draped coffins. Bagpipes. And strong, stoic men and women struggling to hold back tears for their fallen brethren — we couldn’t begin to know this pain, but we grieved as a nation.
New charities were formed to raise money for the victims and rescue workers. America saw, perhaps with new eyes, what police and firefighters actually do, how they see mayhem and smoke and flames and think, “Let’s roll.”
Ten days after we were hit, we sought solace in America’s pastime.
The documentary “Remembering the Game for New York,” airing Saturday on the MLB Network, recalls the Mets-Braves game on Sept. 21, 2001.
“To me, that was very important to be part of that,” Mets team caption John Franco said. “Just to see how New York came together, how the city came together, how the country came together, watching us play. “
The Braves and Mets shook hands after the national anthem, and players also shook the hands of the many firefighters and police officers in attendance.
It looked like American flag night in the bleachers, but one fan held up a sign that stood out: “Once bitter rivals, now United!”
On America’s darkest day, we stood united to share the light.