EDITORIAL: Our nation in mourning (09/16/01)

EDITORIAL

Our nation in mourning

On September 11, we sat stunned and shocked, glued to our TV screens here at the UNA Corporate Headquarters, 30 miles west of New York City. We had just witnessed an unimaginable terrorist act in our country - an insidious attack in which an unknown enemy turned our own planes, carrying our people, into a deadly weapon against the American nation. In an attack on the American people and an assault on the American system, the faceless enemy struck at the centers of our country's economic and military power: the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon just outside of Washington.

We watched in horror as the World Trade Center was destroyed and then crumbled. The sight was particularly devastating for employees of the Ukrainian National Association and its two newspapers as the Twin Towers are - were - located just across the Hudson River from our old offices on the waterfront in Jersey City. For many years they were the centerpiece of our gorgeous view of New York City. That is now gone...

But though the skyline has been altered forever, not so the spirit of the people of New York. That much was evident in news footage we saw in the aftermath of the attack. Thousands of people arrived to help, both professionals and volunteers; throngs lined up to give blood. Though the Pentagon and downtown New York now look like combat zones, though thousands - innocents and heroes - now appear to have perished, the American people will not be bowed. And the United States' enemies should be aware that history has shown time and again that adversity makes the American people stronger, more resolute, even more united.

* * *

As we write these lines we are aware that there is no distinctly "Ukrainian angle" to this story, though there are no doubt individual stories of Ukrainian Americans victimized by this unfathomable nationwide tragedy. But what is crystal clear is that we Ukrainian Americans are part of the American people - a great nation that encompasses individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds, most of them immeasurably proud to be Americans.

As the days since September 11 wear on, we are also acutely aware that no one anywhere on this planet can be unaffected by this horror. Indeed, evidence of that can be seen half a world away, in Ukraine, where the attack was front-page news in the papers and the networks provided live coverage via a feed from CNN and FOX. The Ukrainian people expressed their profound sympathy as best they could, leaving flowers, candles and personal notes in front of the U.S. Embassy compound in Kyiv. The U.S. Embassy later provided a memorial book in which the public could enter condolences.

Colleagues and contacts from various parts of Ukraine e-mailed messages or phoned to voice their outrage at this heinous act and to express concern for the people of the United States. One particularly heartfelt message read: "The horrible news about terrorist acts against America has reached us. This unprecedented brutality evokes mass outrage. It is hard to imagine that thousands of innocent citizens met their death this way. ... My deep condolences to you and to all Americans. ... I join you in prayer for the American people and America."

Such expressions of sympathy and solidarity are much appreciated. And they are tangible proof that the people of the world can be united against such terror.

President Bush, members of his administration and other government leaders have made it clear that America will not tolerate such acts and that we are at war. And the people of America stand squarely behind their leaders as we are steadfastly united in purpose: to seek justice.

One can only hope that the world community also will unite against this challenge to all of humanity - that after September 11, 2001, it will no longer be business as usual and that terrorism will not go unpunished. The enemy that "hides in shadows" must be vanquished.

| Home Page |