The Challenge to Live like we did on September 12, 2001
Author: Audrey Walleser-Martin
The Challenge to Live like we did on September 12, 2001
Audrey Walleser-Martin
September 11, 2001, is a date that everyone can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing. Some were in school, some were not even born yet, farmers were in fields bringing in the harvest, and workers left that day for work, not knowing what awaited them when they turned on the radio or TV.
On the grounds of the World Trade Center in New York City, 2,753 people died, of which 343 were firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers. The death toll at the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., was 184, 55 of which were U.S. military members, and 40 individuals died outside Shanksville, including one United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement officer who died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. One hundred and two countries worldwide lost citizens.
Since that date, over 1,400 rescue workers who responded to the scene in the days and months after the attacks have died, and over 1,140 people who worked, lived, or studied in Lower Manhattan at the time of the attacks suffered from "exposure to toxins at Ground Zero".
On September 8, 2023, by using cutting-edge DNA sequencing techniques, two more people, a man and a woman, were identified, almost 22 years after the day they died they were identified.
However, this year, we all woke, put our kids on the bus, took them to school, made lunches, prepared for work, and went about our day and maybe briefly thought about where we were that day 22 years ago. Where were we? Who were we? And did that event change us at all? Do we remember what we felt that day?
What would happen if Americans in 2023 lived like we did on September 12, 2001? We lived with patriotism, respect, dignity, volunteerism, and dedication to the sense of community.
I hear consistently from residents Broadwater County has all those things. But do we?
Let's take, for example, the dire need for first responders in our communities. We don't have enough people to staff our ambulance and fire departments. What happens if no one is there to answer the call? Someone will always be there, right? No matter what time, day, or night, some non-cape hero will attend to my law enforcement, medical, or fire needs. The reality is that those honorable, selfless men and women are dwindling in number daily.
This always brings up the conversation: Why don't people volunteer?
Some of the most popular excuses given by people for not volunteering, according to a national study, are:
• Being busy with work or school
• Family responsibilities
• Poor health
• Issues within the organizations to which they want to volunteer.
• Lack of time
• Lack of interest
• Not knowing where to start
• Not knowing how to be of help
According to another source, the most typical excuse for not volunteering is a lack of time, followed by rigid volunteer commitments and schedules.
Making volunteering more automated and accessible, connecting volunteers' abilities and expertise with open positions, and emphasizing volunteers' impact were some strategies to encourage more people to volunteer.
Everyone has something to offer regardless of time, physical capability, or knowledge level.
As someone who has spent most of my adult life in emergency services and grew up in a fire station, I can attest that volunteering is genuinely life-changing. The services provided by first responders can and do save lives.
Perhaps if Americans, specifically Broadwater County residents, look at their own lives and choose to live and volunteer as we did on September 12, 2001, they would see that many have the time, capability, and capacity to volunteer. On the other hand, those organizations need to solicit and ask for help before the tone drops and no one is there to take the call.
Editor's Note: The company I worked for on Sept 11, 2001, had an office in one of the World Trade Center Towers. I had several friends that were in the office that day. The office was on the lower floors and everyone in our office safely evacuated.
All of them survived - none of them were ever the same.
And we all owe a huge debt to first responders everywhere.
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PhotoCredit: Audrey Walleser-Martin
Image 1 Caption: Audrey Walleser-Martin
