the united states of america

“That the flag was still there”… in the United States of America…

The flag was still there in 1814, after Francis Scott Key watched British ships bombard the Baltimore Harbor, penning his infamous poem.

The flag was still there in 1991, only 10 days into the Persian Gulf War, when Whitney Houston offered perhaps the most rousing rendition ever of our National Anthem.

That’s the thing. Regardless of what any attempt to do to our country, the flag is still there. Regardless of the level of heartache or absence of immediate hope, the flag is still there. Regardless of the actions of any, the flag remains still there.

Fifteen years ago, 2977 people woke up, grabbed their coffee, breakfast bar, and other items in their morning routine, walked out the door, not knowing their lives would end that day. Their lives would intentionally end at the hands of 19 men, motivated by pure evil. The youngest victim was 18 that day… the oldest, 79. Multiple unborn babies also died in the attacks.

Those people, who paid with their lives, they are the heroes. They are the ones deserving our attention today.

Those heroes did not choose their role in history. And that, I suppose, is where the men and women of Flight 93 make a difference to me. Of all the angles and details and people and perspectives surrounding 9/11, I can’t stop thinking about United Airlines Flight 93.

Unlike those aboard the planes that hit the Pentagon and Twin Towers, the passengers traveling on Flight 93 were aware of what was looming; they had called friends and loved ones after the hijackers took over, and thus, they knew that other planes had been used to target specific buildings in order to create huge casualties. Hence, with the hijackers controlling the plane in the cockpit, the men and women aboard Flight 93 gathered in the back of the plane and voted. They honored each other with the simplest, most democratic act; they voted. They voted on whether to act or not… to allow themselves to be used as another missile to kill the masses… or… to take on the hijackers. At approximately 9:57 a.m. on September 11, 2001, the passenger revolt began. The passengers attempted to force their way into the cockpit.

It is not known for certain whether or not the passengers’ breach of the cockpit was successful. It is known, however, that these brave men and women — these heroes — halted the intent of the terrorists.

I’ve often wondered what went through the heads and hearts of those men and women. Surely they knew there was a strong likelihood they would pay with their lives. While it may have been their only grim stab at survival, there also seems embedded in their act the realization that they knew this was bigger than them. If they did not take on the terrorists, far more people would die.

That, my friends, is patriotism.

That is worth paying attention to.

The beautiful thing after 9/11 — which remains prominent this day, even amidst our continued heartache, strife, and societal tensions — is that the flag is still there.

No one can remove the “united” that stands in our name.

Respectfully…
AR