Posted by DEAN SKIP RUTHERFORD – Six years ago terrorists in airplanes attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and apparently were headed for the White House when a heroic crew of passengers took one plane over and it crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Not too long ago, Deena Burnett, the widow of Tom Burnett who was one of the heroes of United Flight 93, spoke courageously about her husband at the Clinton School.
On September 11, 2001 many of us watched thse events unfold on television with disbelief and shock. Almost 3,000 people died, and it is now estimated that about 10,000 more are sick or will be from other illnesses such as lung disease and cancer as a result of post-impact dust, debris and other injuries. For many students at the Clinton School, like Pearl Habor was to the World War II generation, 9/11 is a day that will always live in infamy.
We at the Clinton School pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks, and we honor the families whose lives will never be the same. We do so with a simple but sincere message on a sign at our front entrance.
Today people all over the world, will ask each other this one question: “Where Were You on 9/11?”
For me, I was at a meeting in Brownsville, Texas. Later that day, I learned a family friend was on the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. I ended up staying in Brownsville several days before the airport reopened. In the midst of the tragedy, one of the things I remember was the kindness extended to a stranger by many in that South Texas community.
As a living memorial to the victims, the tragedy of 9/11 spawned a new interest in and commitment to public service. In 2005, for example, 5 million out of 12 million college undergraduates volunteered. That same year, the Clinton School, the nation’s first to offer a Master of Public Service Degree, opened its doors.
Responses