Opinion

A day forgotten

What should be done to ensure people remember

By Luke deNatale

Posted on Sept. 18, 2006, at 12:00 a.m.

“A Day We Will Never Forget,” a tribute to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is displayed on the Department of Defense Web site. Sadly, we have forgotten. I started my day on Sept. 11, 2006 just like any other day at school. Maybe I woke up too late, but I didn’t see the color guard on the steps of the library like I had in previous years. I myself had forgotten that it was the anniversary of Sept. 11 until a colleague of mine reminded me.

I’m angry and disappointed with most of my fellow Americans as well as with myself. How can such an event be forgotten? Regardless of your stance on the war in Iraq, which has been melded with the war on terror, the people who lost their lives on Sept. 11 should be forever etched into our consciousness.

I spoke with a WWII veteran shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. He served in the United States Marine Corps and saw combat in Tinian and Iwo Jima. He teared up when he proclaimed that he had not seen such patriotism since Pearl Harbor. I would like to believe it were still true. Unfortunately, it is not. Most Americans went about their day like the rest of us; no vigils were held, no American flags proudly displayed, nothing.

A world away from us, soldiers fight and bleed for Americans who have forgotten Sept. 11. Like I said, whether or not you agree with the war in Iraq, you must look at it from the perspective of the grunt or ground soldier. For those unaccustomed to military terminology, they don’t want to be in a war any more than the most ardent peacenik, but they serve their country just the same -and they do it proudly.

I was disconcerted to hear that a close friend of mine who is serving in the United States Marine Corps was hit in the ankle by a sniper bullet and was hospitalized. I am thankful he was not killed in action, however his scars will remain long after the end of this war. Ours have faded.

I felt I had disrespected my numerous friends in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq by my simple forgetfulness. Keep in mind that Sept. 11 did lead us to war in Iraq, regardless of whether or not you agree with the current administration’s foreign policy. This article is not about politics, it’s about the simple remembrance of an event that killed many Americans and threw many of our loved ones into harm’s way. Pitifully, five years is all it took to erase this event from our memories.

A remembrance of this event should be initiated, some kind of moment of silence on the date of Sept. 11 so that generations from now, no one will have forgotten.

I hope my friend, the WWII veteran, will live to see the day that America revives the respect and patriotism that he saw 65 years ago. Who knows, maybe another five years will do the trick.

Luke deNatale is a fourth-year political science major and chair of the UMaine College Republicans.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 18th, 2006, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.