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FOREVER REMEMBER: 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11
The sleeping giant of 1941 and of America today This editorial ran on the II, not just with the bravery of its Opinion page of the Lewiston warriors but with the astounding Tribune Sept. 13, 2001. productivity of its factories. ——— From Pearl Harbor forward, Not surprisingly, the terrorist it was just a matter of time attacks of Tuesday reminded before the United States and its many of what happened after allies moved inexorably all the Pearl Harbor — a way across the Pacific stubborn, unstoppable and into Japan itself. American response that What happened was actually forecast Tuesday is far different by Admiral Yamamoto, in some respects. Pearl who conceived and Harbor was the attack carried out that 1941 of one nation on another Japanese attack. with an obvious target for When the extent of retribution. Tuesday’s the success of his pilots attack probably was the became apparent and work of a small band OPINION underlings congratulated of fanatics. Worse, it is Yamamoto, the admiral, merely one of many little who had always doubted collections of bizarrely what he had been asked hateful people in many to do, saw the world more unrelated movements clearly: “I fear all we who periodically have done is to awaken attack institutions a sleeping giant,” he said. and innocent people in He was right, of course. The countries all over the world. attack on Pearl Harbor enraged, Nonetheless, the people of united and focused the nation this country — and apparently as never before. Japan had in most other countries — are foolishly attacked a large, strong, wide awake now, as they were wealthy nation, a nation that in the wake of Pearl Harbor. would win its part of World War There is suddenly a broad
Bill Hall
recognition that any number can play this savage game and all nations are targets. So the response will be multilateral, a unified sharing of information, tactics and military responses. Nonetheless, it is not insignificant that the terrorists this week have roused a sleeping giant on this continent in particular, a nation now 10 times as strong as the America attacked in 1941. This is today an extraordinarily wealthy nation that spent Soviet communism to its knees. Perhaps more significantly in the context of terrorists, this is an educated, technologically gifted nation that, when it bears down, is capable of making the precision work of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks look like children playing with crude toys. Once roused to the full potential of its bottomless resources, this is the last nation anybody would want on his tail. And it is now motivated in ways that should prove sobering to those who have done this and to any others who may trouble America or its friends. — B.H.
F R I D A Y, S E P T E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 2 1
9/11 REMEMBRANCE On Monday, Sept. 10, 2001, my wife, Rosemary, and I were returning to Pullman after a weekend family reunion in Iowa. We were traveling in our Beechcraft Bonanza and elected to remain overnight in Lewistown, Mont., after stopping for fuel. Flying weather was excellent for the completion of our flight to Pullman the next day. We awoke on the morning of the 11th to the shocking depiction of the first tower in flames. Shortly thereafter we saw the strike on the second tower. Realizing that a serious international incident had taken place and that attacks on America might continue, our immediate goal was to depart Lewistown quickly, for the safety of our Whitman County home. I was confident we could fly through the mountains to Pullman, undetected by radar and without otherwise disturbing the air traffic control (ATC) system. However, movement of our aircraft was blocked. When I asked the man in front of our airplane, “Who might you be?” He responded, “I might be the Lewistown airport manager.” Having previously been stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, we rented a car and spent the next few days in Great Falls, Mont. The ATC system would open briefly from time to time, and we would return to Lewistown in unsuccessful efforts to get airborne. We ultimately reached Pullman on Friday evening, Sept. 14, using mandated instrument flight procedures. This caused a Horizon Dash 8 to have to hold west of Pullman for our little airplane to radio, “on the ground.” — Carleton B. Waldrop, Clarkston
We honor the dedication and service of our armed forces and our first responders.
9/11/01 | 20th Anniversary
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