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In the early hours after terrorists took
down the World Trade Center in New York, an old man was pulled from the
rubble, wounded and in shock.
As rescuers brushed debris from his clothing some began to recognize him
even though soot had turned his snow white beard a dirty gray.
This isn't the first time they've tried to kill me the old man told the
reporter.
You might think you were the target she asked.
Oh, there's no doubt about it--
all these thousands of dead and missing
they don't matter to the terrorists.
I'm the one they were after you see.
My enemies have been trying to kill me ever since I was born.
The old man's eyes were kind but steeled with resolve.
The reporter thought he looked remarkably fit for somebody his age.
In the early 1900's I enlisted into a war that some thought would end all
wars he said.
It didn't--and in 1941 they hit me in my own backyard.
Nothing galvanizes this old man like a direct attack especially from someone
who wants to destroy his way of life.
Let me tell you, that's never going to happen.
His voice grew stronger--
M'am, you have no idea how many times they
thought I was too timid, too stupid or had grown too soft to fight back.
How many times they've mistaken my tolerance for weakness.
I've survived Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf.
I've lived through city riots, campus turmoils, assassinations, impeachments
and more family fights than I can count and these murdering cowards, these
tin horned terrorists think they can bring me down.
Just be patient, and you'll see how tough, how resilliant this old man is.
You'll see kids playing soccer again,
teachers teaching, doctors healing, factories producing, people shopping and
traveling and you'll see some my finest and bravest young people fanning out
to catch these criminals to keep America safe and a beacon of democracy
though it won't be easy and we will have to become more thoughtful, more
aware of the poverty, the injustice, and the hate that breed terrorism, more
committed to those who suffer, but compassion is in my soul and I'm
confident we will do that too.
Just one more question the reporter said,
"Are you a religious person?"
The old man laughed, pulled a dollar bill from his wallet and pointed to the
words "In God We Trust"--that's another thing they don't understand he said.
Those folks who want to kill me--see I've never been one to wear faith or
patriotism on my sleeve, but in times of crises, they boil up and burst
forth like a volcano.
At that moment a rescue worker walked up
and handed the old man a crumpled top hat, "Sir," he said, "I think this is
yours."
The red, white, and blue were barely visible beneath the dust and the brim
was synched around the edges. But the old man straightened it out and
brushed it off and placed it proudly on his head. I'm going to be
fine, he said to the reporter. Tell them we're all going to be just
fine will you. As word of the survivor spread, rescuers planted a big
American Flag right in the middle of the devastation so the whole world
could know, so the whole world could see that the old man was alive, that
Uncle Sam was stronger than ever! |