As a first responder paramedic and survivor of the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center, the tenth anniversary has brought for me an unsettling feeling of fear that was unexpected. A fear that is not based on the threat of another terror attack but rather the realization that 9/11 is being successfully erased from our collective consciousness and memories.
The threat of new terror attacks is not only real, but has changed from a possibility to an absolute certainty.
The politicization of our homeland and national security has guaranteed a second 9/11 style attack or worse.
The lessons that I hoped were learned post 9/11 were quickly forgotten, ignored and replaced with a homeland security strategy that targets political opponents. The highly charged political environment has corroded many of our capabilities and defenses, making every man, woman and child the next potential terrorist casualty.
While the physical threats are real, the greater threat we face is a country that has lost its guiding principles and values. A country that glamorizes reality show personalities and forgets the blood and treasure of its fallen guardians… minimizes their memories and sacrifice. The media and politicians have hijacked 9/11 as a political pawn in an attempt to rewrite history, simply to fulfill a narrative that fits each of their own personal agendas.
The consequence in forgetting 9/11 is that we will be forced to forget the most successful rescue effort in history.
It wasn’t politicians that ran up the stairwells of burning skyscrapers, or took control of hijacked planes, or used their bodies as shields to protect a stranger. It was a cop, a firefighter, a medic, a flight attendant, a locksmith, an iron worker, who said ….”you go home today, I won’t let any harm come to you.” They said this as they gave their lives to fulfill that promise.
Two of my former partners were among those who sacrificed themselves so that others could get home on that fateful day. Among emergency service members, the death of any first responder is a heartfelt loss of a brother or sister. On 9/11/2001, terrorists murdered (343) firefighters, (37) PAPD, (23) NYPD (6) EMS personnel (3) court officers, (1) FBI agent and thousands of additional first responders also died that day…who didn’t know that their death sentence was to be carried out over the next 10 years. Their exposure to the toxins at Ground Zero sealed their fate and that of tens of thousands of other exposed people. 1700 people were never recovered from Ground Zero, which became the only cemetery they will ever know.
Ground Zero is much more than a piece of valuable real estate…it is sacred ground that contains the remains of fallen heroes to this day. Politicians use Ground Zero as a backdrop for their speeches, demonstrating their inner character of selfishness contrasted by a mural of selflessness. Barring 9/11 first responders is a badge of shame these politicians will wear for the rest of their lives.
The days that followed 9/11 were filled with an outpouring of support, kindness and generosity on a grand global scale. People forgot politics and self interest and America responded with compassion and resolve. My desire to capture that moment and to honor my fallen partners, brothers and sisters inspired me to author a book titled “Gone But Not Forgotten.” Political obsession to forget diminishes us all and the people who stood up for us on that day. The terrorists failed on 09/11 and all that remains of them is the stench of politics that lingers in the aftermath.
Politics have progressively encroached and overshadowed the honor and dignity that was exhibited that day.
For the first time ever, Politics will now prohibit first responders from standing at the graveside of their fallen brothers and sisters.
Politics has now removed God from a place that screams out for God’s hand of comfort.
Politics has desecrated the cemetery of Ground Zero, and finally;
Politics has the blood of the next 9/11 victims on its hands!
Big Government
