Tribute to America:
How Our Lives Have Changed Since September
11
A year has passed since the tragic events of September
11, but many Americans still are dealing with changes
that have occurred to their beliefs and values, as well
as their work and personal lives. News for a Change
invited AQP members to share their perspectives on how
these changes have affected
them.
The El Paso,
TX-Juarez, Mexico, border used to transcend all customs
and immigration matters. Life at the border is completely
different since 9-11. Before then, it was possible for us
to visit our relatives across the border. It was easy to
have lunch in Juarez, get across the International
Bridge, and still be back in El Paso in time to return to
work. Security has been on alert since 9-11, so it now
takes us more than two hours to get back. El Paso-Juarez
citizens used to rely on each other not only for family
matters, but also for commercial and industrial
purposes.
—Raymundo Gomez
One of the changes
that have taken place, beginning immediately after 9-11,
caught me off guard. When I instruct “The Effective
Project Management Workshop,” participants raise
the issue about the importance of “security”
as a newly added facet to their projects. So, if the
project is to plan the company picnic, build a new
parking lot, or redo the cafeteria, security is NOW an
issue to consider.
—Gary Turner
I always knew that I
lived near a great country and felt very safe. The
thought that there would be an attack on our “big
brother” country was never imagined. The attack
made me reconsider the value that I place on each day of
life and how in a manner of minutes it can be changed. As
I stood and stand beside American citizens who lost loved
ones, and as I think of the inhuman act of 9-11 that
showed our vulnerable side, I am determined to work as
one to make North America safer and stronger. I am a very
proud Canadian. I want to ensure that we all are safe,
and I congratulate all who can make a difference and do.
This is not the time to be passive. This is the time to
listen to the leaders who can make a difference and
provide the support that each Canadian and American
citizen can provide—regardless of religion, color,
or creed. Grow in strength and flourish!
—Lillian Mahoney
All of us have heard
the phrase “stop and smell the flowers.” I
think this phrase describes the changes in my life since
9-11. I am 37 years old and my focus has always been on
education and career. Since 9-11, I have married for the
first time. We are making plans to build a house and
start a family. We made sure during the wedding planning
that we included several opportunities to get family and
old friends together. Today I am more likely to take off
work a few minutes early for a round of golf.
—Marty Watson
Since 9-11, I learned what emergent leadership is
really all about—in myself and others. On that day,
the director of our leadership-training center was in
Washington, DC, and I took charge of our federal facility
to deal with more than 200 stranded government leaders in
residence here for training. Many of these leaders had
been officers in our armed forces prior to their current
careers and I expected to have many helpful people
supporting me. Instead, I faced a sea of shocked, tearful
faces when I gathered everyone for an all-hands meeting.
In the days immediately following 9-11, we raised our
security to Threatcon Delta, handled media attempts to
descend upon us, got mission-essential people back to
their duty stations by land—all while Hurricane
Gabrielle approached. I never knew I had it in me to find
the right words, to make the right connections, and to
earn the gratitude so many people expressed to me for my
actions and demeanor. I was an emergent leader “in
the now”—with no sense of ego, just focused
resolve.
Meanwhile, mid-level
managers throughout the Federal Aviation Administration
were the true heroes, as USA Today so accurately
reported in several stories. All over America, they
safely closed down our air space until the threats could
be controlled, and then they restarted thousands of
dislocated aircraft back on track the following
Friday.
Other public servants
and professionals stood firm in the anthrax
scare—most of them deep behind the scenes, such as
medical technologists, primary care physicians, mental
health workers, and pharmacists. Finally, in an
astounding Atlantic Monthly series, you can read
the “Unbuilding of the World Trade Center” to
discover emergent leadership that accomplished far more
than the official organizations could.
—Roberta Sappington
Since 9-11 many
things have changed but mostly our attitude toward life
and each other. “Don’t sweat the small
stuff” is truly a creed to live by. So a meeting
starts 15 minutes late or someone asks you to make copies
after they’ve walked by two copiers trying to find
you; worse things could happen. Our day-to-day problems
were minimized last September as we all watched the
scenes unfold on a small television used for training. It
made us appreciate each other and gave us the ability to
judge what’s really important and what’s just
a minor inconvenience.
—Amy Haschel
America was put on a
breathless alert on 9-11 that the new millennium would
not only be a time to reflect on what “was”
for our country, but also for what is yet to come. I have
found that this tragic event forced me to look at my
family, career, country, and God in a different light.
Perhaps these treasures are taken for granted by the
average American, but I know that I make more of an
effort to kiss my wife and child goodnight to assure me
they are safe. I go to church now with a greater sense of
faith and seek to understand something greater than
myself. I look forward to saying the pledge of allegiance
to our flag and singing the national anthem at a ballgame
with renewed pride. Tonight, kiss your children
goodnight, thank God, and be proud to be an
American.
—Tim Bearden
I will never forget
what was done to our country that day; 9-11 has changed
all of our lives forever. What I think about the most,
though, are all the heroes that showed up that day. From
the police department, to the fire department, to the
people in the buildings, and to the people that took over
that plane. They are all true heroes and should be
equally remembered as true heroes. What they did for this
country that day, I cannot and will not ever forget. Now,
when I say the pledge of allegiance or hear the national
anthem, I get a tear of pride in my eye.
—Ray Benedict
Before 9-11, the
number 911 was a security number, a number to call for
assistance. This has been ingrained in me as well as in
many others in America. Seeing 911 on police cars or on
telephone equipment in large letters meant that this was
an access number to report any emergency or
life-threatening situation. After 9-11, this is still the
case but it now is also a sad reminder. I feel a sadder
America. The freedoms I cherish and have been used to are
not the same as before 9-11. I feel a pall in the air, as
if the smoke and ashes rising from Ground Zero have not
subsided. Though we go on with our daily lives as
normally as we can, the definition of normal has changed
in my life’s journey.
—Christopher K.
Ahoy
I
am a Filipino-American. I have been raised in this
country since I was six months old and the United States
is the only home I know. September 11 has filled me with
pride in my country and sorrow for my brethren whose
lives were lost in that fateful day. It has also brought
back memories of my childhood.
My mother went to
night school to get her U.S. citizenship while my father
was overseas in the Navy. She studied the Constitution
and the Bill of Rights so that she could proudly present
her certificate to my father when he came home. This was
a big accomplishment for a woman with a second-grade
education. My mother was unable to attend school because
of the war between the Philippines and Japan. She had to
help support her brothers and
sisters.
September 11 is a
reminder that although we have to retain the pride we
have of our origins, America has its own culture and its
own heritage. If we have the opportunity to live in this
great country, it is our duty as citizens to take pride
in our American culture and heritage first and foremost.
If we live in this country, the primary language is
English. We are also allowed the freedom of speech
without retribution, and we the people control the means
of production and distribution.
If you disagree with
these basic rights and freedoms, you are living in the
wrong country. The one thing that has changed since 9-11
is the pride we take in these United States. Although we
are a tolerant people, our vigilance is forever changed.
We can never again take for granted the rights and
freedoms this country has afforded us.
—Janet Piechocki
There is more
uncertainly in the world now, but my beliefs are the
same. Because most persons are uncertain about the
future, there is more of a need to focus on positive
principles that enable us to survive today and thrive in
the future. Improvement is the only alternative. The
changes in the world should help us to recognize the
importance of understanding everyone and the situations
they face. Those that I care about the most continue to
let me know about their caring, and I continue to let
them know of my caring for them.
—Larry Beckon
As I contemplate how
my life, work, and relationships have changed since 9-11,
I can only come up with greater value and dignity. My
work has focused on the value of each individual in
organizations, communities, and my family. With this
focus on individual value, I also have challenged my
clients to build organizations that support the dignity
of each person through mechanisms of inclusion in all
aspects of their work and
service.
More specifically, we
have committed ourselves to the “Great Peace
Giveaway” project. We are assisting in developing
and facilitating a national youth dialogue on peace and
violence, which we hope will be compiled in a book
called, The Peace Book for Kids and Teens, written by
kids and teens.
—Kevin Boyle
I work in an
insurance company with many policy owners in the New York
area and the events of 9-11 have obviously affected my
life. However, it seems my home life has been impacted
the most. My son was born in January 2001 and has been
the joy of my life ever since. Only eight months into his
life, his world was completely changed; his childhood
will be so different from the carefree days of my
husband’s and my youth. My child’s existence
has created a sense of vulnerability that I have never
known and now I hold him a little closer every day.
—Lisa
Fiorini-Puskey
The events of 9-11
have made me value human life and the journey of life
more than I did in the past. The tragic ending of so many
beautiful and heroic souls makes me conscious daily of
one of the precepts I treasure: “If I can do a good
turn for someone today, let me do it for I might never
get a chance to do it
again.”
Those of us who have
positions of responsibility in human resources and make
decisions that affect people’s lives have been
given a sacred trust that we must exercise wisely. As we
contemplate employee change—both growth and
downsizing—we must always, always keep in mind that
we are dealing with people and their lives.
—Pete Fornal
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