The first day anyone likened Sept. 11 to was Dec. 7, 1941. The bombings of Pearl Harbor on that day of infamy officially catapulted the United States into World War II. With combat forces headed toward the Middle East, few doubt that we are now headed in a similar direction.
Leadership is pivotal during such times, when the nation stands united and waiting for direction. One of the most dynamic figures in U.S. history steered America through WWII: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. First lady Eleanor Roosevelt was standing at his side the whole time, a seminal figure in her own right. With FDR confined to a wheelchair, Eleanor became his eyes and ears, traveling relentlessly to learn the concerns of the American people. She toured the Pacific during the harshest of battle years, 1943. She witnessed what many in America are seeing now for the first time: the horrors of war. Death and destruction beyond comprehension for those accustomed to living in a civilized society. Bodies mangled in ways Picasso could not have imagined. Lives literally torn apart.
Upon her return, Eleanor reflected, as she routinely did, in her nationally syndicated and highly read daily newspaper column. Shaken by what she had witnessed, Eleanor wrote, “I think the things one dreads sometimes tend to be forgotten as quickly as possible, but this time … we must remember the dreadful things and try to see that they don’t happen again.”
Eleanor’s advice is as relevant now as it was then. But along with her advice, we need to accept her vision.
Eleanor did not just see atomic weapons, a larger standing army or even the United Nations as the true solution to preventing war. She could see the root of the evil, namely intolerance and poverty. Thus, she fought for civil rights, the G.I. Bill, labor unions and support programs such as child care, among others.
More rigorous standards of aviation security, more F-16s and human intelligence will all help to prevent tragedies like Sept. 11 from happening again. But, like Eleanor Roosevelt, we must not limit our scope to security measures when discussing how the nation can move toward a more peaceful, secure world.
Although it is hard to imagine the image of a jet plowing into the side of the World Trade Center ever fading, it is important that that image become part of our collective national memory. And when we remember that picture, we should also see the motivation that lies behind it: hate.
I heard Tom Brokaw say over and over that everything had changed – that America would never be the same – and I sincerely hope he is right. As we eliminate curbside luggage check-in, why don’t we also get rid of some things that the U.S. could do without? Discrimination could be the first to go. There is a tremendous amount of evil in the world, and it is not just directed from the outside; plenty of it comes from within.
Eleanor Roosevelt helped implement the programs that allowed a better society to blossom out of the ruins of WWII. We have that window of opportunity now. In the wake of Sept. 11, the nation has unified as we’ve never seen before. Along with the World Trade Center, our differences were destroyed, if only for a few days. We should make it stay that way.
