Why are certain events of our national history remembered, honored, grieved over or occasions for celebration? Of course, certain events have had such an impact upon the American psyche that it would seem impossible to forget or overlook. Dec. 7, “a day which will live in infamy”; D-Day; Thanksgiving; and Halloween are all part of the American calendar.
But few Americans realize that roughly the same number of casualties occurred at Pearl Harbor and the Beaches of Normandy as those who died Sept. 11.
Yet in large measure Americans have grown tired, if not bored, by the remembrances, memorial services and gatherings that mark the day America was attacked at the World Trade Center. There is a desire by many for closure and moving ahead with life. For those whose loved one will never return home or watched the life ebb from a family member who worked on the pile, who is also a victim of al-Qaeda, closure is not only an illusion but an insult.
The West is in conflict with a theology that will not surrender or compromise. Al-Qaeda’s belief system demands a never-ending commitment to achieve victory regardless of the lives that will be sacrificed. They impose upon their children the obligation to fight on even at the cost of them and their loved ones.
For them, this war has no deadline. For the West, it is a struggle that has changed our lives and the way we live.
From the perspective of these enemies, they celebrate American reluctance to remember those lost in this war. They relish the boredom that demands closure. By failing to remember, we not only turn our backs on our friends and neighbors who have been victims, but we surrender the soul needed to win this battle.
Edward Horn
Baldwin, L.I.
