However, at my age, trying to remember something that happened yesterday is like trying to remember something that happened 21 years ago. All kidding aside, I think for most of us, as individuals, we have a day or days, happy occasions, that we think we remember as if they happened only yesterday. We do not want to forget those days, but as time goes on, our recollection of the details gets fuzzy. There are also sad or traumatic events in our lives that we would like to forget, the death of a loved one for example. However, we are told that "time heals all wounds" and we eventually find ourselves remembering the good and forgetting the bad.
Then there are days such as September 11, 2001. The events of that day elicited such strong emotions that left an imprint so deep that we cannot push those memories aside. Sadness, anger, despair, disbelief, they are all very strong emotional reactions. Now add on to those horror. That last one is one we do not expect to be hitting us when we wake up on a quiet Tuesday morning in September. Horror is what leaves the imprint so deep. It leaves us confused and not knowing how to react. In an instant that feeling of horror leads us into feeling helpless, and I think it is that feeling of helplessness that most of us remember, and regret, about that day.
The rallying cry behind the events of September 11, 2001 is to "Never Forget." We are to never forget how, for a brief time in history, the world came together to condemn what happened. We are to never forget how, in hindsight, with better security, what happened would never have happened. We are to never forget that there is evil in the world, and we were put on this earth to stop it. Most of all, we are to never forget how we felt on that day, so that we never have to feel that way again. To be honest, it took a few years and writing this blog before I truly understood why I think it is important to "Never Forget."
Tomorrow will be the 21st time that I am taking a trip somewhere on United Airlines just because it is September 11. Ever since that first anniversary in 2002, I have been telling myself, and others, that I wanted to do this show my support for everyone at United Airlines. After all, it was two of their planes, with crew members and passengers that were killed. I wanted to let them know that I understood their grief. I wanted to let them know that I understood how difficult their job is, and how because of what happened on 9/11, what they do every day to keep us passengers safe is so very important. In writing this particular blog entry though, I now realize that there is a more personal, somewhat selfish, reason for these trips - I do not want to feel helpless again.
Every year on the anniversary of September 11 the media pulls out all of its coverage from that awful day. News channels will broadcast clips of the planes hitting the World Trade Center towers, and then the horror of the towers coming down. They will provide live coverage of the President and his staff attending the different memorials. Newspapers will post pictures, and list the names of those were killed as a result of the attacks. For me spending the day on the airplane, I am able to shield myself from the news, but I could just turn off the TV if I wanted to not witness it all again. Taking this point further, to turn that helpless feeling around, I told myself I needed to be on a United Airlines flight, and I needed a way to engage with as many as I could on the front line. I needed to let them know that there is somebody who understands that feeling of helplessness.
As the years have passed, my trips on United, and this blog, became a way to get the message out to the flying public that as customers we had become too complacent, and that those on the front line at United deserved more respect. This same message applies to all of the other airlines as well. In addition, these trips and the gift cards I hand out, became a way to get a message across to management at United Airlines that the customers do see what is going on. Service missteps are not the fault of the front line, the blame lies squarely on management.
People have asked me why United Airlines, and why the gift cards? My response is just to say "I get it." It is hard to explain, but United Airlines has a rich history, and being a part of the "Friendly Skies" meant something for a very long time. For most of the front-line employees I now know, and will meet, they are proud of the work they do, and being part of the "Friendly Skies" is what they always wanted. These trips and the gift cards just let them know that there are customers who "get it."
In closing, tomorrow we will be reminded once again to "Never Forget." Yes, it has been 21 years, but time does not heal every wound. Tomorrow is a Sunday, a good day to keep all those that were lost in our prayers. Everyone born before 1995 should have some memory of what happened on 9/11/2001. For us older folks, the memories are more present and emotional, but it is going to be up to the younger folks to make sure the message gets out. To those of you born after 1995, when you watch coverage you may view it more as a history lesson, but there is a reason us older folks make a big deal out of it. It may be hard for you to understand now, but as you get older, you may come to a better understanding. God forbid that another attack like that happens again, but there may be a natural disaster or other humanitarian crisis that you witness as it unfolds. You will be hit with a feeling of helplessness, and that is expected. It is what you do with it that counts.
EPILOGUE
This goes out to Mr. Scott Kirby, Chairman and CEO at United Airlines -
Mr. Kirby, I will once again renew my plea to you to properly honor those United employees who were killed in the attacks on 9/11/2001. I am not talking about just one day a year, where employees are left to come up with their own makeshift memorials. You need to get real about it and one way to do so is that for every one of those employees, as a new 777 or 787 rolls off the assembly line, have one of their names painted on it by door number 1, and along side their name should be the United Airlines tulip. These are good people who lost their lives trying to protect United Airlines passengers, and on their uniforms was the United tulip. Their names may be on the memorial in New York, but they deserve to be a part of the "Friendly Skies." They deserve that kind of legacy. It would mean so much to your employees and to the customers.
- Thank You - James Anderson, Mileage Plus HVC21479.
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