September 11 Blog: On the 25th Anniversary – My 9/11 Lessons are Different

Dear Friends:

Every 9/11 I hope I will hear several things about the meaning of that day, but I do not. 

The first is how suddenly America experienced what many places in the world experience, often because of the US: war and the fear of someone dropping a bomb on your home, the grief of losing loved ones in a foreign attack that felt totally undeserved. For those weeks right after that horrific day in 2001, I kept thinking how shocking it felt to be afraid all the time (and in the U.S. there really was little to fear afterwards). I felt a connection to people in places of conflict like I never had before. Lesson: Don’t do this to people!

The second is how suddenly everything can change. Comforts and people we take for granted can be taken in an instant. Lesson: Don’t take people or places for granted. And, be prepared.

The third is about soft power: the strength of connections and affection is very strong. Although the attacks were caused by ill will from some people an ocean and continent away, it felt like almost the whole world was with us right after the attacks. The immediate aftermath of 9/11 was probably the height of our global influence. Sadly the US embarked on an ill-conceived and poorly executed “War on Terror" that was based on lies, which went on for almost a decade, and led to likely over 1 million deaths. That was the first major step in the destruction of sympathy and international good will that we had so painfully built for generations. The full cost of that we have yet to see, I think. Lesson: Soft power is strong. Leaders who ignore it are deadly fools.

Because I was on the School Board at the time, I’m very aware of the role our schools played here in Arlington. I’ve long felt that APS should be more recognized. On 9/11 everyone wanted to be close to their loved ones and people were afraid. Teachers and staff across the school system stayed with their students throughout the day trying to keep them occupied and calm as parents came to take their children home. Phones were not working, but email was. Senior staff fanned out and every school principal had someone from the central office to help them through the day. All these people, of course, had their own families they were worried about.

The principle of Hoffman-Boston Elementary School, where the plane clipped trees on the playground before it plowed into the Pentagon, spent the day keeping her school functioning for its students and families, all the time knowing her husband was at the Pentagon. No one had heard from him. When the last student was gone, she went to find him and saw his lone car in the parking lot. She knew he’d been killed.

It was an electrician from the school system who strung lights so first responders at the Pentagon could see as they searched the still burning building. He went in first and alone to places which were dark and dangerous. Some people said that was the bravest thing they’d ever seen. He did not want any recognition and his story has faded away. The first command center to manage the fire and recovery work at the Pentagon was a school system relocatable run – I believe – by school system generators. One lesson everyone did learn that day was of the courage of regular, everyday people, which included our schools’ teachers and staff. Courage comes in many forms. 

About those deadly fools currently in charge of our nation: midterms are finally here and we can start replacing them. A huge early vote makes it much harder for fascists to disrupt voting.

Early voting starts in Virginia on September 18.

"No Kings: Vote Early" has been announced October 17, which will be a day of action.

Vote ASAP. 

Yours in remembrance and peaceful resistance,

Libby