Let’s Roll: A 9/11 Tribute

Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll! ~Todd Beamer

“Let’s roll!” Those were pretty simple words uttered by a man who, like any other on that September morning, woke up to nothing out of the ordinary. He did not know what would befall him or the rest of the country. Todd Beamer would lose his life, but in doing so, he and the other passengers on United 93 would save countless others in their stunning act of bravery and sacrifice. So many others would do the same. And while there is no discounting the tragedy of 9/11, there is comfort in remembering all those people who answered the call of courage in service to their fellow man, regardless of the costs to themselves.

When I reflect on that sacrifice, I am confident that despite the horror of that day, 9/11 represents the best of what it means to be an American. It was a day that we rose to meet the challenges we faced together, as one nation in shared grief and the hope of a better tomorrow. We honored those who gave their lives and all the victims who never had a chance.  

There’s no undoing the tragedy. We can’t turn back the hands of time. But we can continue to learn from it and remember it with proper perspective for what we lost and eternal gratitude for what we gained. The perspective comes from thinking about the horror each victim, each survivor, each first responder faced that morning and realizing it could have been anyone of us just as easily. The gratitude is bestowed on those who did what needed to be done, some forfeiting their own lives. Their sacrifice reminds us that those people did and still do exist in the world and we are damn lucky that so many of them live, and sometimes die, with unyielding courage in service to their fellow man. 

Hopefully, for the many Americans who commemorate Patriot Day, we can all remember that something wonderful can be born out of even the worst tragedy, but only if we have the perspective and wisdom to realize it and the gratitude to help us harness it and hold on to it forever. Remember the victims. Honor the heroes. And love your fellow Americans. Let’s Roll! God bless America now and always!