The horrific attack upon New York and Washington D.C. was an attack upon the United States and the freedom of the American people, however these attacks will not bring our country down but instead we will rise and united we will stand.
Almost one week after the attack, New York has pronounced 4,972 people missing and 159 people dead. Our Nation’s Capital has lost 188 people as a result from the attack on the Pentagon. Furthermore, 45 people were killed in the United Flight 93 that was taken down in Pennsylvania.
If such statistics have yet to put a knot in your stomach, think about this: approximately 5,000 families across the Nation have lost loved ones in just a matter of hours. That’s 10% of the lives that were lost throughout the years in the Vietnam conflict and more than double the amount of people that were lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the largest attack in American history, children have lost parents, parents have lost children, husbands have lost wives, and wives have lost husbands. As the people of America stand in disbelief, we stand united as we mourn the loss of loved ones and hope for the missing to be recovered.
Moreover, we salute the firefighters, police officers, medical aids and the thousands upon thousands who have volunteered their lives to help the Nation in this time of crisis. Every single person that has helped in the relief efforts from firefighters to blood donors to the men and women preparing revenge over seas will forever in the history of our nation be remembered as heroes.
September 11, 2001 will be a day that will never be forgotten. A beautiful sunny Tuesday morning turned into a war on America and forever changing the Nation. As we mourn the great people that our Nation has lost, President Bush is preparing us for a long battle to eliminate terrorism.
If patriotism was once lost from our country it is now found. Take a walk down the street and try to find a car, a house, or a person without a flag or ribbon to represent our nation. Even here at Quinnipiac students have shown patriotism by standing together and lighting candles to pay their respects to the victims of the attack. The war on America has not only affected the average person from New York, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, or California but it has affected the entire world from class to class.
When was the last time football was not played on a Sunday afternoon, or baseball was halted just before October? In the past when our sports were put on hold, it was for reasons of greed but now along with the Nation our teams have been forced to view life in a different perspective.
With the delay of the games, the tri-state area professional athletes including the Giants, Jets, Yankees and the Mets were given the chance to help with the relief efforts by loading supplies such as food and water. In addition to sending supplies to the attack site, the Mets as well as the Yankees have donated one million dollars to the relief efforts.
Closer to home in a succeeding attempt to show respect for the Nation, Quinnipiac suspended last weekend’s sporting events hoping that players and fans will take the time to remember the victims of the tragedy.
Our Nation is suffering an attack that would have simply been inconceivable just two weeks ago. We are in a time of remembrance and a time to spend with our friends and families who may or may not have lost loves ones through this horrific tragedy.
“Play Ball!” I don’t think so.