Stand Strong, America

[fury]

Don't let this horrible tragedy bring our lives to a halt.

I was watching Smackdown tonight and what I saw was one of the most tremendous displays of patriotism and unity that I have ever seen. The owner of the WWF came out and gave a motivational speech strongly declaring that the Americans will not live in fear. The National Anthem was sung before the show began; that one brought a tear to my eye. Virtually everybody in attendance had some sort of artifact of US pride with or on them, be it a USA flag, a RW&B T-shirt, or a patriotic sign. "USA! USA! USA!" chants came up every now and then, and the people who work with the WWF expressed their feelings and sent their condolences to the victims of the tragedy.

What affected me most was that despite the tragic events on Tuesday and the feeling of helplessness that they experienced, they all still went forward and put on a show for the people to see. They went to work; they went on with their lives. That's patriotism if I've ever seen it.

At some point, we're going to have to put this griefing period behind us, so why not get on with our lives? I know we won't be able to forget. I know we won't be able to forgive. But we can't let the terrorists get what they want. We can't let them break the USA. We can't, and we won't.

Did I make any sense?

 

[Djcake]

All of the superstars who have roots in the New York area are feeling lucky today - as all of their loved ones were unharmed by the tragedy. But perhaps no one is feeling more grateful than Lilian Garcia.
Garcia, the Federation's ring announcer and backstage interviewer, is the only television personality that lives in Manhattan. One member of her immediate family was scheduled to have a meeting at one of the World Trade Center twin tower buildings at 8:30 Tuesday morning. By 10:30 a.m., both of those buildings had collapsed. But Lilian's relative had been waiting for another man, who was late, and he did not make it to the meeting.

While Garcia has yet to hear from some of her friends in New York, she's gotten in touch with all the members of her immediate family, and they're OK. Her home is about five miles from the twin towers, so it was also unharmed. She just may not be able to get there for a while.

"I want to be there so bad," Garcia told WWF.com in a phone interview from Houston. "I'm glad I wasn't there, but at the same time, it's my home. I want to be there. I want to get on a plane so bad and go home. But by the looks of things. I'm going to have to head straight to Nashville (for Monday's RAW IS WAR telecast)."

Garcia said she's been an emotional wreck since she was woken up by a phone call from her family at 9 a.m. CT on Tuesday.

"I was in a state of shock all day (Tuesday)," she said. "I had several breakdowns. Even though my family was OK, just knowing what all those people are going through, it's just unbelievable."

She's only eaten once in the last two days - "I just have no appetite," she said - and she finally fell asleep while watching the news at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.

"I woke up this morning and wondered, 'Was that all a dream?'" she said. "It's awful when you realize it wasn't."

Garcia - an accomplished singer who performs the National Anthem before Federation television events - has lived in New York City for seven years, and is quite familiar with the twin towers.

"I have sang at the World Trade Center so many times, it's just eerie for me to think I won't be dong any more gigs there, or that it didn't happen when I was there performing," she said. "Anytime I have family that comes on visits, I take them up all the time. My nieces were just there a month before. It's very eerie to think that those two towers are gone.

"I just couldn't believe it. It was so inconceivable that it was happening. The whole thing just fell."

Garcia says the her peers in Houston have been helping her cope, and that the event has brought the Federation's staff closer together - "even though we were pretty close anyway." Garcia added that the event should bring Americans as a whole together as well.

"I am definitely looking forward to singing the National Anthem (Thursday at SmackDown!)," she said. "I think it's going to mean more than it's ever meant before -- at least in our lifetimes."

 

[s4]

I agree with you that we need to carry on and be strong. I think that a proper period of mourning would not mean that the people that did these terrible things got their way. Instead it would be a sign of respect for those who have perished and worked so hard to help others. Let's not get on with our lives so quick that we can't reflect on what happened here.

 

[fury]

I agree about the respect for those who perished. But I'm just saying, we shouldn't let it drag our lives down any longer than it has to.

 

[Mikelh]

Moving on may cause some to cover their eyes once again.

America needs to grow strong through this. Suffering makes us grow strong. To put suffering aside and move on so soon may only make us complacent once again.

Let's not return to the INDIVIDUAL American. Let's become joined together as Americans , carrying one another along this path of suffering with a renewed effort to show the world that we cannot be broken.

Michael

 

[Shadowfax]

Although I am not an American, I still have a really strong connection to this country, because I lived there for quite some time.
Even though that was only a year, and I have lived in The Netherlands now again for more than a decade, this extreme tradegy still struck me as if it happened to me personally.
I watch at the news, and all looks so very surreal. The pain, the horror seen on the faces of those people.

I have no words to describe the situation over there and I don't seem to find the words to express my sympathy and affection to all of the people involved.

There were 3 minutes of complete silence here in The Netherlands on 12:00 AM; everybody put there cars at the side of the road, everybody stopped walking and talking; the whole society just stopped for those minutes. In those minutes all the images seen of this tradegy flashed in my mind, and I just couldn't find any words to express myself.

I would like all the Americans and all the other people to know I they have my sympathy, and that they'll have a place in my prayers.

God bless America!

 

[s4]

Thanks for sharing that with us Shadowfax. I'm sure people are very touched by the support from countries around the world.

I have one problem with us all getting on with our lives as Fury suggested. This is the first time in a long time that our country has been united as one. If we go back to normal, it means every man for himself once again. Americans have gotten too good at looking after number one and not caring about their country. We have regained a spirit in this country not felt since Pearl Harbor. I don't want people to lose that spirit. It makes the whole country strong.

 

[BigDadday]

We are and will get over this but we all are stil in shock over what has happened and the forums are a good way to express what we feel so I don't think we are not getting on with our lives but we are doing just that in this form bt what we are posting and sharing with each other. BD

 

[Professur]

Bradshaw just said it all, didn't he? He must have tripled his t-shirt sales overnight.

 

[fury]

Bradshaw took the words right out of my mouth.

Regarding the sense of unity this country has right now, I said nothing of going back to normal, where you were lucky to find someone putting a flag on their car or wearing the country colors, I just said we should get on with our lives. Of course I still want the country to be as united as it is right now.

You wouldn't believe how many cars & trucks I saw on the way over to dad's house that either bore a flag, a patriotic bumper sticker, or was driven by someone wearing the red white and blue.