Published Friday, September 12, 2008 in Southeast Valley Opinions of the Arizona Republic as “Flags of other lands missing from 9/11 memorial.”
Does it matter if we misrepresent history?
History isn’t simply dates and facts. History was lived, but that experience differs depending on standpoint: the conqueror or those occupied, the slave owners or the slaves, men or women, etc. Perhaps the greatest historical challenge is to step into someone else’s shoes and see the world through his or her eyes.
So Tempe’s 9/11 memorial both warms my heart and disturbs me. For the fifth consecutive year, 3,000 American flags will blanket Tempe Beach Park with placards of the names who perished. The memorial was unveiled in 2004 during the last Presidential campaign amid heated discussions about the Bush Administration, the Iraq War, 9/11, and patriotism.
On September 11, 2001 our country was attacked by a clandestine group of men who ruthlessly hijacked civilian aircraft and sacrificed hundreds of lives that turned into thousands as they became flying missiles. The hurt dims with time, but never goes away—especially if you take the time to step in the shoes of the surviving families.
As the Tempe display commemorates, the number of people killed on 9/11 was close to 3,000—2,974 plus some still classified as missing. In addition, at least one first responder who bravely helped on that day contracted lung cancer from environmental toxins and has since passed. Others in the vicinity were dealt a similar fate.
But they weren’t all Americans. About 500, nearly 20 percent, of those murdered, hailed from 90 other countries. Though the link isn’t readily accessible, CNN still has an on line database with the names and a partial accounting of victims’ nationalities: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial. Read the rest of this entry »