Is 9/11 Our Worst Attack?

The news is having more about 9/11 each day. A few days ago, I heard it called our worst attack. Is it really? Yes I remember where I was when the word came about it. Yes I saw the pictures. I remember the planes not flying for days.

In 1963 I remember the principal coming to the classroom to tell us that the President had been shot in Dallas. I remember seeing the pictures over that weekend and the scared nation worried about an invasion. I remember coming home from church that Sunday and my Dad turned on the TV and told me that I was old enough to watch them transfer Lee Harvey Oswald. As I watched Jack Ruby stepped out and shot him. I knew it was real! The conspiracy theories were now fueled.

My Mother talked about December 7, 1941. She remembered staring at the radio while hearing about Pearl Harbor. How hard would it be to control fear without seeing pictures for days? The Declaration for War was requested the next day.

How many fears did others have for WWI, the Spanish/American War, and the Civil War? We tend to think of the celebration scene in “Gone With the Wind”. How many were really scared?

How about the War of 1812? This past weekend I was at the NCSU/Liberty football game. As we sang the first verse of the Star Spangled Banner I remembered why it is the National Anthem. Imagine the fears that Key had that night as the battle raged and he was a prisoner. Could the nation stand? The next morning he had his answer. The flag still flew! The last line reminds us of our freedom and bravery.

Yes, 9/11 was a bad attack. I do not think it was any worse than the others. What it does do is remind us that we will have our freedom and bravery as long as we have our hope and courage.