On this day five years ago, I was just returning from getting my *then boyfriend* from the bus stop. He had just come home from his job as a security guard at the casino overnight. We were walking into the living room and I turned on the television just in time to see the 2nd plane coming around after the first one had already hit. We didn’t know what we were watching…it was such a confusing sight. When the 2nd plane hit, we just sat there in awe and wonder. It was the craziest thing either of us had seen. I couldn’t even hear what the people on the news were saying because my mind was so boggled I blocked out all sound. All I could think about was my half-sister and *soon to be* brother in law. We waited for phone calls from all his other relatives who were supposed to be working in the building or in the area. Amazingly enough, every single one of our relatives had some extenuating circumstance that had made them late or unable to get to work at all. They were all fine…so was my half sister. The rest of the day we were praying and watching the horror unfold…on a day that should have been joyous: My *soon to be* sister in law’s birthday.
Where do I stand today? Firmly on the belief that those people died in vane. I watched a special about the aftereffects on the workers last night. They are still suffering, forgotten heroes of yesteryear…still have pieces of buildings in their lungs from working in unsafe conditions. They are sick, some are dying right now because of the work that they did to help save lives that year. Some of them are developing cancers and sicknesses in staggering numbers. Over 8,000 people have lawsuits in with the state for making them work in unsafe conditions and taking them from their families as they watch them slowly die.
I stand on the fact that no matter what compensation is given to the families or the workers, that it will never be enough. The actions from that day to this have been futile attempts to bandage a gaping wound that will never heal.
May God help every one of us.