Remembering Sept. 11
Stopped at a traffic light revisiting scenes from my past four
hours of TV watching, I noticed that there were no planes flying
today.
The reality made my heart ache as I thought of those who were lost
in the rubble, or the ones who were injured, or the family members
who could not get on a plane to New York to find or to comfort their
loved ones.
Staring out my half opened window with slow, streaming tears stinging
my cheeks, I could hear a noise coming through my old radio speakers.
A reporter was retelling the horror of that morning.
Trying to block out those piercing words, I heard a vehicle pull
up next to me. The brand new, blue pickup truck was meticulously
clean and patriotically decorated. Through its open windows, the
same reporter’s words projected.
The driver turned, looking at me through glossy eyes. We were not
the same race, age, or social stature, but we were equals. We were
both going through our own hell. Our land had been invaded, and
our people were the targets.
The stranger spoke in a deep, controlled voice, “Miss, we
will protect you. We will find the ones who did this and make them
feel our grief. Pray for our land and our people who were injured
and killed. Pray, especially, for the defenders of our freedom.”
He broke our stare and before I could speak, I noticed his crisp,
perfectly ironed uniform, adorned with gold stripes, ribbons and
metals. He drove off in ironic harmony to the radio voice saying,
“This was a horrific day with many heroes.” Yes, I said
to myself, I had just met one.
It has been months since that day when our entire country gasped
for air. It was not for lack of oxygen that we could not breathe
Sept. 11. It was because the unthinkable happened. Men of foreign
lands had entered our beloved country and used our innocent brothers
and sisters as pawns in their evil game to destroy our freedom.
Even with the tremendous loss of life on Sept. 11, Americans have
much to be thankful for this holiday season. And many heroes to
thank.
Holly Waingrow
UAW Local 51
Next: Director's Report
Region
1
Ken Terry, director
Joe Peters, assistant director
Region
1 regional office
30755 Montpelier
Madison Heights, MI 48071-5110
313-926-5341/42
313-564-6510/11
248-583-1700
248-645-2400
fax: 248-588-3555
Subregional
offices
3520 Military
Street
Port Huron, MI 48060-6639
810-982-4891
220 Wellington
Street West
Chatham, Ontario N7M 1J6
519-360-9888
800-387-0538
fax: 519-360-9222
Members
are invited to submit information to the regional or
subregional offices. Action Line is published four times
a year as an insert to UAW’s Solidarity magazine.
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