Today, I am remembering my cousin, Ruthie Lapin, who died in the towers 15 years ago. She was an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald. Rest in peace, dear cousin! You are always in my thoughts.
Many Americans have been touched by the devastation of September 11, 2001. In my case, it was a first cousin of Mrs. Junior from New Jersey, Frank Deming. I met some of the aunts and children, and, of course, the two surviving uncles, at a wonderful family reunion that was held at Skaneateles Lake in New York, near Auburn to celebrate Uncle Walter’s 80th birthday in 2004. The grandfather was once the fire chief of Kearny, New Jersey. Grandpa Walter convinced the Kearny Fire Department to use pneumatic tires on their fire trucks. After WWII, Grandpa Walter bought a dairy farm in West Milford. Many years later, Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Walter moved the farm to Montezuma, New York. Mrs. Junior was four years older than her cousin. Yet they were childhood playmates. I met his brother, a caretaker of the Willard Chapel in Auburn, who graciously allowed my small party in to partake of the historic, turn of the century organ.
I had an old acquaintance who died trying to evacuate his office. I remember my son who worked close by at the time calling on the phone telling me there were people jumping. I have never heard his voice sound like that.
But will we forget? Of course. Ask the average Millennial what Pearl Harbor is about and weren't we supposed to remember the Maine?
Of course there are few countries in Europe or the Middle East that haven't suffered similar or even far worse, but we've always felt above such things and rarely have had sympathy for them. Do you suppose Baghdad tells their kids not to forget the Shockinaws?
All things will be forgotten, at least all things which are true. The lies we tell ourselves will live on. I would love to see us handle the memory by trying to do some good in the world instead of wallowing in self pity and trying to make America Great Again by "taking the oil"
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Many Americans have been touched by the devastation of September 11, 2001. In my case, it was a first cousin of Mrs. Junior from New Jersey, Frank Deming. I met some of the aunts and children, and, of course, the two surviving uncles, at a wonderful family reunion that was held at Skaneateles Lake in New York, near Auburn to celebrate Uncle Walter’s 80th birthday in 2004. The grandfather was once the fire chief of Kearny, New Jersey. Grandpa Walter convinced the Kearny Fire Department to use pneumatic tires on their fire trucks. After WWII, Grandpa Walter bought a dairy farm in West Milford. Many years later, Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Walter moved the farm to Montezuma, New York.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Junior was four years older than her cousin. Yet they were childhood playmates. I met his brother, a caretaker of the Willard Chapel in Auburn, who graciously allowed my small party in to partake of the historic, turn of the century organ.
I had an old acquaintance who died trying to evacuate his office. I remember my son who worked close by at the time calling on the phone telling me there were people jumping. I have never heard his voice sound like that.
ReplyDeleteBut will we forget? Of course. Ask the average Millennial what Pearl Harbor is about and weren't we supposed to remember the Maine?
Of course there are few countries in Europe or the Middle East that haven't suffered similar or even far worse, but we've always felt above such things and rarely have had sympathy for them. Do you suppose Baghdad tells their kids not to forget the Shockinaws?
All things will be forgotten, at least all things which are true. The lies we tell ourselves will live on. I would love to see us handle the memory by trying to do some good in the world instead of wallowing in self pity and trying to make America Great Again by "taking the oil"