EDITORIAL
Under attack, heroes arose to guide us

Today we stop to remember and honor the heroes and victims of that terrible moment a year ago when America was attacked.

Today, as we rebuild our economy, strengthen our security and punish our attackers, we pause to remember.

We remember the thousands of innocent, productive, loving lives that ended in an instant in New York, Washington and in a Pennsylvania field. We vow to ourselves that the promise of those lives will not be forgotten. We will honor that promise by being productive, loving and positive in our own lives.

We remember the remarkable steadiness and equanimity of our leaders in a time of great national stress. We will remind ourselves in this political season that those we choose to lead carry a terrible burden. It is easy to mock them or belittle them, but in times of crisis, we turn to them for leadership and wisdom.

We will remember this.

We remember the thousands of acts of individual courage and strength as the buildings in New York and Washington crumbled. In the midst of horrendous fire and fury, hands reached out to help others, calm voices led frightened people out of darkness and thousands made their orderly way to safety.

We will remember this the next time someone seeks to frighten us into inaction or chaos.

We remember the uniformed heroes of that day. The men and women from fire departments, police units and rescue squads who thought not for a second of anything other than doing their job.

While most of us would want only to get away from the inferno, they raced toward it.

In far too many cases, this meant also that they raced to their deaths. We will remember their sacrifice and honor it in the lives of legions who were saved by their heroism.

We will also remember those who became heroes not because it was their job, but because circumstances dictated it:

The steelworkers and construction specialists who showed up at the disaster sites, their rough hands ready for whatever work was needed.

The individual, anonymous citizens who formed a community of support for rescue workers, feeding, caring and consoling those who were dealing with the unimaginable.

We'll remember the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 who refused to be cowed and fought back to defend not only their own honor but the honor of a nation under attack.

We'll remember.

Today, the pain of Sept. 11 remains sharp. Grief cannot be erased through the cycle of a calendar. On this September day, when we remember, we mourn.

But in time we will come to remember Sept. 11 somewhat differently. We will remember it for acts of kindness, of courage, of heroism and of honor.

And that will be our victory.