Remembering Sept. 11, 2001, a day of American fear, resolve

Today marks the 18th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, a day that will burn in this nation’s memory forever.

Those of us old enough to have experienced the day will never forget where we were and what we were doing when we heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon.

It’s important that we share our memories with those too young to have lived through the horrendous loss of innocent life — and reflect on what it means today.

For me, Sept. 11 is a story of fear and resolve.

It’s impossible to forget just how terrifying the day was for Americans who had their illusion of safety shattered while the world watched in horror. Yes, there was a strong desire for revenge. The harder part is relaying just how strong Americans’ desire was to preserve our way of life in the wake of the attack on thousands of innocent civilians.

I was a stay-at-home dad on Sept. 11, 2001, when I received a phone call from a friend saying I had better turn on the TV. Someone had crashed a plane into one of the World Trade Center towers. And then a second plane crashed into the other tower. One crash might be an accident. But two? Within 20 minutes of each other? I suspect I was not alone in experiencing the paralyzing sense of deep fear that only occurs when confronting one of the most tragic events of a lifetime. And concern for the safety of loved ones, including my wife and three children, who on that day were 11, 7 and 4 years old.

If New York City and Washington were being attacked by terrorists, could they possibly also be targeting other parts of the country, including the Bay Area?

Harry McKay, the head of school where my children attended, Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School, quickly decided that parents could take their children home for the day if they desired. Or, if they preferred, sit in with their children for classes throughout the day. A special service was held to pray for the victims and calm the nerves of children, teachers, parents and staff. I recall attending and wondering what I could possibly say to my children to ease their fears.

I had worked at The Mercury News from 1985-96, primarily as the Perspective section editor, until our third child was born. I didn’t join the paper’s Editorial Board until 2003, two years after the tragedy. I remember wondering on Sept. 11, 2001, how my former colleagues were dealing with the attack and being curious as to what the next day’s editorial might say. Journalists are well aware of their responsibility of writing what is often described as “the first rough draft of history.”

Earlier this week I revisited The Mercury News Editorial Board’s effort and only wish I could have been a part of crafting the result:

“Sept. 11, 2001, was a day of horror in America,” the editorial said that day. “But it will never be an anniversary of surrender. Terror aims not only to damage and kill, but to cap the will of a nation. It has not done so. (President George W.) Bush responded calmly and forcefully. (New York) Mayor Rudolph Giuliani conveyed no hint of panic in New York.

“America will not yield to these attackers. It will not forget what it stands for as it seeks them out and delivers justice. America will grieve for the dead, comfort the wounded, reconstruct its buildings and rededicate itself to the ideals it has defended throughout its history.”

I’m certain my children don’t remember it, but I read those words to my children on the morning of Sept. 12. And they resonate with me today.

It reminded me of how my mom and my mother-in-law talked about what it was like to live through Pearl Harbor and World War II. And it also brought to mind my own initial experiences with national tragedy after the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. The sense that the world is spinning out of control, only to have a voice of wisdom remind us of our responsibility to stand up for our most basic principles.

Granted, mistakes have been made since Sept. 11, 2001. But in large part, America did just that.

As Santa Clara Rep. Ro Khanna noted Tuesday in an interview, we still have a lot of work to do to combat terrorism and on our foreign policy, but it’s a credit to law enforcement officers that there has been no significant attack on the United States since Sept. 11, 2001.

“And it stands as a reminder,” said Khanna, “of our ability to come together when tragedy strikes. It’s something our enemies fail to appreciate. When we are attacked or hit by an outside power, we are quick to unify. That quality should not be underestimated.”

The division in American politics is as deep today as any time since the Civil War. But if there is a lesson to be learned from Sept. 11 and other internal and external attacks on our way of life, it is this: Regardless of our politics, our will and our love for what our country stands for runs deep. It’s the one quality that should give us our greatest hope for the future.