The tragedy of 9/11 has permanently bonded many of those affected by that day.
NewMajority asked a former Homeland Security Department Secretary, retired CIA and FBI officials, and some families who lost loved ones for their impressions and reflections on this somber day in American history.
September 11th will always be embedded in the minds and spirits of those most affected. All those interviewed unequivocally felt it is a day of mourning and remembrance. Gordon Haberman, who lost his daughter at the World Trade Center, reflected that “9/11 to me is fresh every day… 9/11 will always be a day of remembrance for me.” For many of the CIA and FBI officials interviewed by NewMajority it is no different. A former CIA operative noted that “I think about it every day. In my mind it was practically yesterday. It’s still raw for a lot of us.” Craig Dotlo, a former FBI agent, explained how his fellow colleagues felt while investigating the terrorist act. He sadly commented that “those victims are no longer faceless, but they are real people with families and dreams whose lives were extinguished in just moments. Seasoned FBI agents who felt the pain of those families… knew this incident would leave an indelible mark on the victim’s families and many would never really be able to recover from it.”
The family members interviewed hope that Americans will not forget and become complacent. John Pasquale who lost a son and son-in-law at the World Trade Center stated “People always forget the lessons of the past.” Another former operative concurred with Pasquale in stating that “I’m becoming increasingly concerned that the U.S. has forgotten, especially since there’s not been another major attack here.”
Many former officials told NewMajority that they will never forget that nightmarish day. A former high ranking CIA official wants the family members to know that “I think of 9/11 all the time. I want to always remember the awful feeling of that day. To forget would dishonor those who died.” Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who recently wrote the book Homeland Security, commented to NewMajority that “I have not forgotten them. I have on my desk a piece of steel which has written on it ‘recovered steel World Trade Center’ and I keep it on my desk because it is a visible symbol that I have NOT forgotten.”
All those interviewed feel that the current administration is soft regarding the War on Terror. Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, is outraged about what this administration is doing. She angrily stated that “he (Obama) is not taking us back to September 10th; he is taking us back to worse than that. At least on September 10th the public was unaware of the nature of the threat.” A former high ranking CIA official agreed and explained that he thinks “about the families and how their lives were forever changed in an instant – and how that could easily happen again to other unsuspecting families.”
The family members are horrified at how the Obama administration is weakening the CIA and catering to the rights of the terrorists. Alice Hoagland who lost a son on United Flight 93 felt it is a travesty that those who are truly guilty, the terrorists, are not getting prosecuted; yet, Attorney General Holder is deciding if CIA operatives should be prosecuted. She furiously stated that “people are whining in the fact that the terrorists were waterboarded. I would happily be waterboarded if it would bring my son back to me.” Joe Holland who lost a son at the World Trade Center does not understand why the CIA is being punished for doing their job which saved lives and stopped attacks. He wonders “if the Obama administration’s actions are making this country risk averse” and he “hopes that Americans wake up.”
Jacquie Van Laere, who lost a brother at the World Trade Center, feels that many Americans do not understand the circumstances surrounding the period directly after 9/11. She insightfully stated that “it is very difficult to look back in hindsight and make a judgment. My brother and 3,000 other people were blown apart. I think we had every reason to fear much worse and I think the CIA was acting on our best behalf.” Another former high ranking CIA official made the same point when he noted that “people don’t understand that time was not on the CIA’s side. We were within days of stopping another attack. No one can understand that unless they were there.”
Going forward what should be done? Bob and Shirley Hemenway, who lost a son at the Pentagon, felt that “the CIA should be left alone to do their job to keep Americans safe.” Maureen and Al Santora want Americans to recognize “who are the truly evil ones.” They are tired of hearing criticism about the CIA from those individuals “who would never put their lives on the line and complain how these poor individuals (the terrorists) were treated so miserably. None of the terrorists were beheaded, none were shot, and none were stabbed.” A former CIA station chief wanted Americans to stop assuming the danger has passed and quit tolerating “the administration’s pandering to leftist interest groups and turning on the intelligence community.” Richard Marquise, a former FBI agent, wants to prevent 9/11 from ever happening again which is “one of the reasons I do what I do – teach cops how to prevent terrorism.”
Kent Clizbe, a former CIA operative, became very emotional when reflecting about the past and commenting on the future. He wanted the 9/11 family members to know that “Americans are sorry for their losses and that those fighting the terrorists, whether the FBI, CIA, law enforcement, or those in the military, are doing their best to strike those that killed your loved ones. We will continue to do our best so please keep the faith.”
10 responses so far
1 9/11: Never Forget September 11 and Quotes : In Entertainment // Sep 11, 2009 at 5:02 am
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4 Chekote // Sep 12, 2009 at 10:27 am
I posted this on another thread. But I think it is important.
This morning (9/11/09) my husband was sworn as a brand new American citizen. I have been to citizenship ceremonies a few times – including mine – and it is always a very emotional event for me. It always fills me with both pride and appreciation for this great country. Since today is 9/11, I – along with my family and friends – expected that it would be a special ceremony. That a few words would be said in honor of the victims of 9/11. To our shock neither of the two individuals in charge of the ceremony mentioned this important date in our history. Not one word.
At the end, my fellow rabble rouser friend and I went to speak to the individuals in charge of the ceremony. One was a lady. When my friend asked her why she didn’t say anything about 9/11. She replied she used to make a big deal about this day but four years ago she felt she needed it to “tone it down”. My friend’s eyes filled with tears and said that she was Jewish and she would never let anyone tell her or make her feel she needed to “tone down” about the Holocaust.
I spoke to the gentleman leading the ceremony. I praised him for his speech and for mentioning the words in the Declaration of Independence that define our nation and us as Americans. I said that I was disappointed that he didn’t say anything about 9/11. He replied that he thought about doing that but decided not to include it. I told him that it is very sad for our country that he felt it would be best to ignore this date. My friend and I left but not before telling both individuals that they need to find their voice as Americans and honor the innocent victims of 9/11.
My friend is an immigration attorney and she plans to write a letter to the district director. I will do the same. I don’t know whether it will make any difference but I will do whatever I can to make sure that we NEVER FORGET.
5 EscapeVelocity // Sep 12, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Toning down 9/11 is the strategy of the Obama Administration, you could hear it in Biden’s awkward speech the other day.
It has long been a tactic by the Left, as well.
Holocaust denial is also making a huge comeback on the Left.
Such are the times.
6 agentprovocateur // Sep 12, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Let us look at the Right using the same warped, funhouse spectacles that escapevelocity uses to look at the Left, shall we? The Right seems to have an enormous problem with the president. It extends well beyond any disagreement with his philosophy and policies. One can see it in the questioning of his origins. The president is The Other. He is somehow alien, somehow foreign. He probably even sympathizes with the likes of al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. That he wishes to impose a socialist, fascist state on us is crystal clear. He is obviously illegitimate. All this, of course, extends from the fact that he is a black man. How dare this usurper pollute the White House. This filth must be purged from the body politic. Such are the times.
7 livingston5 // Sep 12, 2009 at 11:33 pm
To agentprovocateur:
It is pitiful that you cannot accept the fact that many Americans do not like Obama because of his political ideology and not because the color of his skin. I wonder how many other “truthers” he has in his administration? As far as those of us who believe he is not a legitimate U.S. citizen, a long form birth certificate or the release of his college records to prove he was a U.S.not a foreign citizen would clear the accusations up once and for all. I am beginning to wonder if the question, if a man is alone in a forest is he still wrong? should be changed to if a black person makes a mistake is he still right? Why don’t you save your opinions for the Daily Kos? God Bless America and the victims and their families who still suffer since 9/11/.
8 agentprovocateur // Sep 13, 2009 at 1:49 am
Actually, what is truly pitiful is your reading comprehension. I never claimed that conservatives don’t like the president because of the color of his skin. Rather, what I was doing was showing escapevelocity’s warped worldview by illustrating how it would look if a similarly cartoonish view were taken of the Right that escapevelocity takes of the Left. But, of course, you exhibit your own warped worldview by actually admitting that you think the president isn’t a legitimate U.S. citizen. God Bless America indeed.
9 jreb // Sep 13, 2009 at 5:11 pm
This tragedy was not a black or white , Republican or Democrat issue. It was an American tragedy in which almost 3,000 innocent men and women were slaughtered by Islamic terrorists. It irrevocably changed my life and the lives of all Americans. Nor can any of us can ever afford the luxury of forgetting the impact that tragedy had upon all of us. We can never allow our elected representatives to forget that there still is a clear and present danger to all Americans from Islamic terrorists.
10 Reality Chick // Sep 13, 2009 at 6:38 pm
It is ridiculous and foolish to be wasting time in a semantic war over what words (extreme measures/ tortue) and colors (black president Obama/ WASP president Bush) and concepts (Geneva Convention policies/ Gitmo) bother the so called left or the so called right and instead of acknowledging the real war, of which 9/11 was only one, but at this point, the worst battle. We lost that one. Do we really want to be wasting time while another looms on the horizon? Let the CIA and intelligence commmunities do their work. So far they have managed to save thousands of lives that we dont see or hear about in the press. Let’s appreciate the fact that each one of us could have been one of the thousands of “targeted” citizens AND DON’T EVEN KNOW IT because we didn’t know we were in the wrong place at the wrong time and because the CIA and intelligence communities were doing their jobs.. . and doing them very well.
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