Remembering others today

On Sept. 11, 1918, Cpl. Lester McCarthy was killed in action during World War I in Europe…. On Sept. 11, 1918, Cpl. Lester McCarthy was killed in action during World War I in Europe. McCarthy was from St. Louis, Mo., one of 53,000 Americans who died in The Great War.

On Sept. 11, 1944, Army Pvt. Avon D. Hollopeter died as a prisoner of war in Germany. Hollopeter was from Linn Country, Iowa, one of 16 million American soldiers to serve in World War II. More than 400,000 American military personnel died in that war.

On Sept. 11, 1950, Air Force 1st Lt. Marshall Williams III was killed in North Korea, one of 34,000 Americans killed in the Forgotten War.

On Sept. 11, 1967, Lance Cpl. Creed Lorenzio Bryant of the U.S Marine Corps was killed by hostile ground fire in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. The United States entered the Vietnam War in 1960 and left defeated, thirteen years and 58,000 lives later.

Today, we must remember all of them.

The 21st century has proven to be one of violence and ideological differences, but it has not been much different from its predecessor. On the anniversary of a day when 2,973 American lives were lost, we realize that the price of our freedom and liberty is grave. We must now recognize that Sept. 11, 2001, was one day in a history of triumph and tragedy.

A few years ago, I visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii. There, I met an old man on the bridge of the USS Arizona. He was a survivor of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and he had returned in his naval uniform to pay tribute to fallen heroes. Tattered, proud and now a mere silhouette of a man, he played “Taps” on an old silver trumpet.

Today, our own silver trumpets can honor those killed.

Many will visit the national cemetery in Arlington, Va. They may stop for a moment to say a prayer or lay wreaths on the grave of someone killed in World War I. Thousands will pass by the World War II memorial honoring those killed in Europe and recognizing their sacrifice.

Parents will show children how to use a crayon to trace the names of soldiers on the Wall of Names, memorializing those lost in the Vietnam War. Americans will pass by ground zero in New York City and leave flowers or messages.

I realize that remembering those lost is hard. I understand that it is painful and sad. However, we owe everything, every day, to the men and women killed defending our nation.

Last month, a young man from my high school class was killed in Iraq. His name was James W. Higgins Jr., a lance corporal in the United States Marine Corps. He was smart, athletic and remarkable. James was 22 years old when he died in defense of a country he loved. He died believing that he could make a difference, and for that we owe him even more than a moment of silence and a lowered flag. We owe James tomorrow.

We have no future without our recognizing our past. If we forget, if we allow the memories to fade, we will have learned nothing from history. The lives lost in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam will have been for nothing. The Americans killed in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Iraq, will become faint memories of a difficult period in American history.

Throughout the course of a busy day of classes or work, we will inevitably walk by an American flag, a symbol of our strength and sacrifices. Stop for a moment in front the flag; remember what it represents and those that died in its defense.

Sept. 11, 2001, is a day we will always remember, perhaps even if we hope to forget. I will always remember where I was when the planes crashed into the twin towers, and I’ll remember the panic that followed. I cannot forget the tears and the candles on windowsills all across the county. I would like to erase the memory of the expression on my younger brother’s face as two pillars of American strength crumbled in utter destruction. Reality, however, is something we must learn to live with. We must, as we always have, honor those lost and move toward the future.

E-mail Kimberly at kns12@pitt.edu.