Upon the reading the Brandon’s post about this picture, I have come to find that I can honestly share some of his opinions and feelings. I, like Brandon, can definitely say that I am proud to be an American citizen no matter what faults we all may have. Because I am an American citizen I can experience the immensity of this tragedy and I have great respect for the brave men and women who pulled together in a time of desperation to try and save as many American lives as they could. I believe that this photograph of this New York firefighter tells a lot of how many Americans feel about this catastrophic day.
I tend to agree with Brandon on the fact that just by looking at this photograph of this brave firefighter, we will never know his story or what he really saw or experienced. We can only guess at what really happened to him or how he felt on this heartbreaking day. As an American looking at this photograph I can only be connected with this firefighter in the fact that we both felt the horrific event that was 9/11. The firefighter in this picture and I can only share the piercing of the double edged sword that is terrorism and its effects on the lives of millions. Americans all over the country can say that they were in some way, shape, or form affected by the falling of the two towers as they crumbled to the ground spitting flames and devastation as they fell. When the two towers collapsed to the ground, it was as if the hearts of Americans collapsed with them. No matter how much we might want to deny that this terrible event didn’t happen, this photograph is proof that it did. When looking at this photograph Americans will have emotions of sorrow and regret jump into their throats and take hold like a scare that will never go away. Those who remember this day will never be able to forget it or the effects that it had on our nation, our emotions, and our societies.
When the Americans who experienced 9/11 look back on what happened, they will see the aftermath of 9/11 and wonder sometimes if the action that our nation took was the right decision. Americans, as I know that I will and do even now, look back and wonder if the Iraqi War was the right move towards fighting terrorism? What will we tell our children when they learn about 9/11 in their history classes and textbooks, for surely they will come asking questions? Did we respond the way that we should have? Will our actions really bring an end to the war on terror? Will we really ever understand the magnitude of this disastrous event? When we look at this photograph of this firefighter years from now, will we still feel the same way we do now when we look at it? How will this event shape us in the future? Will we be shaped for the better…or the worse?
The Powerful Grip of Tragedy
I would like to begin first off by saying there is no way possible I can create a story behind this photo, storytelling is easy, something in the human instinct makes sharing tales of personal triumph or misfortune simplistic at best. Never the less the visions that this man witnessed could never be put into words by someone such as I, the bone chilling images, I myself have only seen on television or the internet, he witnessed with his very own eyes. The screams of innocent men and women as they jumped from the towers, or scorched alive as they were trapped inside the burning structures, can never be washed from his memory. How could I ever be able to tell be able to tell his story? So therefore I refuse to, I could never do him the justice he deserves.
However what I can do is tell you what t his picture means to me and why when I look at it I feel proud to be born in America. Although 9/11 was a terrible tragedy like no other in American history I am often reminded how many braver Americans put their lives on the line and bonded together to save other human beings. The men and women of the New York police and fire department showed so much true courageous American spirit that when reminded of 9/11 although sad, I am remind why I am proud to be born in the United States. In such a severe time of pain and suffering for the American Society people often over look that in a time of great disparity the American people bonded together.
I was in 4th grade when 9/11 occurred I was young and could barely understand what a terrorist attack truly consisted of. My parents tried their hardest to apply an understandable concept to the images I was seeing on T.V but I still couldn’t truly say I had a clear understanding, all I knew was people were sad, but every time I saw the powerful firemen and women marching across the scream towards danger I couldn’t help but feel admiration. My father was a police officer and I always thought it was cool to tell the other kids what his job was, but after 9/11 all I knew was that my dad must have been brave to have the same occupation as the men and women the television gave so much praise too.
When I see this picture I can only imagine the fire fighters face, although I cannot see his expression, or the sadness in his eyes, it’s almost as if I can place myself directly into his shoes, the feeling as his tattered boots sank into the soft soil and shrapnel, a frozen moment in time where a once massive monument was now reduced to the form of useless rubble and ash. The unmistakable pain in his heart however is what I can’t feel, I can never live the moments he lived or know for certain the thoughts he processed, however what I can do is tell him thank you. What 9/11 means to me, a tragic moment in American history, a reminder that no matter how invincible a country may seem, we’re never out of reach of the grip that is known as tragedy.
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