Two weeks after the terrible events of Sept. 11, most people are still trying to come to grips with what happened.
Can those ugly piles of rubble at ground zero really be all that’s left of the once-proud World Trade Center twin towers — symbols of America’s economic power?
Can we really have lost more than 6,500 people — the population of a small town?
That number includes more than 300 rescue workers, men and women, who gave their lives while trying save others.
That number includes dozens of residents from East Brunswick and Old Bridge alone, and others from Sayreville, South River, Monroe, Jamesburg, and other Middlesex County communities. That number includes many who live, or lived elsewhere, but grew up, went to school and established deep roots in our towns.
It includes many who commuted every day to the twin towers, where they worked for firms such as Cantor Fitzgerald, the bond trading company whose Trade Center workforce was all but wiped out by the forces of evil that devastated our country Sept. 11. And it includes hundreds of emergency personnel and other brave souls.
We mourn for the families and friends of all those missing and dead. For them, the recovery process will be excruciatingly painful, for their lives have been forever scarred by the barbaric events of Sept. 11.
All of us who live in America and value our freedom were shaken to the depths of our souls, and we, too, will have long-lasting memories of the day that life, as we knew it, came to a horrible halt.
At the same time, we can take pride in our connectivity, pride in the thousands and thousands of people across America and beyond who stepped forward to donate their time, their blood, their money and their prayers for the missing and for the future of our great young nation.
We will never forget the firefighters, police officers and emergency workers who so selflessly rushed to aid victims and lost their lives as the towers, in one terrifying half-hour, crumbled to the ground.
Americans who hold dear the values that make our country great will never be able to fully comprehend the madness that drives the shadowy terrorist cells hidden around the world to wreak such horror on the innocent.
But every American flag, large and small, that graces homes, business fronts, clothing, vehicles, and houses of worship sends a resounding message that we will never again tolerate such acts. As we prepare for our nation’s response and await a call to aid the new Office of Homeland Security, we will stand tall. One thing is for certain: The common man and woman of America will triumph once again.