November 1, 2009

21-Gun Salute

By Patricia Swicicki

At approximately 8:00 am on Monday, November 2, the USS New York will come to a halt on the Hudson River opposite the World Trade Center site. The Navy plans to dip its colors, fire a 21-Gun Salute, and then proceed to Pier 88 in NYC. The 21-Gun Salute will be loud. On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorists murdered 2,976 people at the WTC, and any tribute to the innocent souls lost on that day should be loud.

While the Twin Towers stood, they were often criticized as being architecturally cold, but they nonetheless defined the NYC skyline. On the day of the attacks, then-NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani proclaimed, "We will rebuild. We're going to come out of this stronger than before; politically stronger, economically stronger. The skyline will be made whole again." But the Twin Towers are gone, and they are not going to be rebuilt. In their place will stand a single 109-story building. With a tooth-pick like spike on top, it will stand 1776 feet tall.

Psychologists claim there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Denial is described as a state in which we cannot comprehend or accept what has occurred. It's a state of shock. When the terrorists flew the airplanes into "our beloved Towers," New Yorkers were in denial. That denial soon moved into the next phase of anger.

Anger...yes, we were very angry. Anger can manifest in many ways. We can blame others for what has happened even when those blamed are not directly responsible. Following the events of 9/11, Americans were angry, and we wanted revenge. That anger allowed us, We The People, to encourage our country to enter into a war with Iraq.

Bargaining. We make deals with reality. We offer something to try to take away the reality of what has happened. Soon after the Towers fell, our politicians promised the NYC skyline would be restored. Former Governor George Pataki said the cornerstone of the "Freedom Tower" design would be a "soaring tribute to the heroes lost." The symbolism of the "Freedom Tower" as an American response to the 9/11 attacks was hard to miss. Politicians called the proposed tower proof of the country's triumph over terrorism. We believed that building something bigger would take away the pain of our loss by proclaiming our determined victory over terrorism.

Depression. Now this is the interesting one: feelings of guilt and a need for self-punishment. We are just so sorry for everything we have done. Recent examples could include President Obama apologizing to the world for the things he believes we have done, or his proposing that September 11 no longer be associated with terrorists but instead be associated with a day of service. After all, how can a day of service remind us of the pain we all suffered on that day? Self-punishment is represented in our country's willingness to surrender our sovereignty and industrial capabilities.

Acceptance. The final stage of grief. The realization that life has to go on. You reestablish your energy and set goals for the future. It's an incorporation of your resolved grief into your future, just as the steel of the WTC has been incorporated into the bow stern of the USS New York. "The significance of where the WTC steel is located on the 684-foot long ship symbolizes the strength and resilience of the citizens of New York as it sails forward around the world," said Commander Quentin King, Navy program manager representative on the site where the USS New York was constructed. "It sends a message of America becoming stronger as a result, coming together as a country and ready to move forward as we make our way through the world."

A 21-Gun Salute is the highest military salute bestowed upon Presidents, ex-Presidents, and foreign heads of state. On November 2, however, the U.S. Navy will bestow that honor on the 2,976 who perished in the WTC. At approximately 8:00 am on November 2, the USS New York will make a thunderous announcement to New York and to the world that the 2,976 souls will not be forgotten, that America is coming together and moving forward. We have survived, and we have a future.