WILL THAULT: Bush, bravery, baseball: Reflections on the 20th anniversary of 9-11

I freely admit it. I’m a sucker for symbols and acts of American atriotism. On the night of 9/11 last weekend, I teared up in the middle of the New York Yankees vs. the Mets seventh inning, as I watched Regina Wilson, representing the NYC Fire Department, belt out a stirring rendition of “God Bless America” to the delight of fans standing as one with caps or hands over their hearts.

It took me back 20 years to the Game 3 opener of the 2001 World Series. This was the first game of the Series to be played at Yankee Stadium that year, just 49 days following the horrendous 9/11 attacks. Then-President George W. Bush had been invited earlier to throw out the first pitch pitch at either Game 1 or 2 in Phoenix, but he insisted on making that first ceremonial pitch in New York City.

The nation held its breath as the President of the United States, wearing an FDNY pullover, walked to the top of the mound. No secret service anywhere near him. The only protection possible in that vulnerable position was the insistence that he wear a bulletproof vest. For probably little more than a minute and a half, it was just George W. Bush and the Yankees backup catcher, Todd Greene, on the playing field. Seemingly cool as a cucumber, “W” waived a “thumbs up” to a roaring crowd chanting, “USA! USA! USA!,” stood on the rubber, and without hesitation, wound up and pitched a perfect strike over home plate. A huge homemade Yankees banner hanging from the stands summed up the moment by saying, “USA FEARS NOBODY. PLAY BALL.”

When our president bravely walked out onto the field, with the whole world knowing that he, along with everyone in that stadium, could be a prime target for another spectacular attack, there was at once a collective sigh of relief and a tremendous lift of pride and resolve in the American spirit. Whether you’re a Bush fan or not, with that single pitch the President of the United States helped heal a city and a nation. We were as one people. Americans united against this unspeakable evil bent on destruction that would bring our country to its knees.

Much to the disappointing surprise of the terrorists, the opposite occurred … and the hunt for Bin Laden began.

Reflecting now on last week’s 9/11 tributes, thankfully, there were few political speeches given at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 Memorial outside Shanksville, Penn., to distract from the somber remembrances that day. There was one noteworthy participant, however, who did speak. And of all the politicians, he was arguably the one who played the greatest political role in the actual event and its aftermath – George W. Bush. He spoke at the crash site of Flight 93. The heroism of those passengers and crew who sacrificed their lives to prevent the terrorists on board from completing yet another suicide attack — this time on Washington, D.C. — should not be forgotten.

Bush said it best, “In these memories, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 must always have an honored place. Here the intended targets became the instruments of rescue. And many who are now alive owe a vast, unconscious debt to the defiance displayed in the skies above this field. … We saw that Americans were vulnerable, but not fragile – that they possess a core of strength that survives the worst that life can bring. We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death. We vividly felt how every hour with our loved ones was a temporary and holy gift. And we found that even the longest days end.”

There was one moment in his speech that I found right on point regarding the challenges we face today.

“… (W)e have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders, but from violence that gathers within. There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home. But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.”

Bush later said, “When it comes to the unity of America, those days seem distant from our own. A malign force seems at work in our common life that turns every disagreement into an argument, and every argument into a clash of cultures. So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment. That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together.”

Amen! However, what he didn’t say seemed to mean less than what both the left and the right thought he was really saying. So they filled in the blanks based on their political point of view. Was he talking about the angry Jan. 6 protestors who stormed the Capitol that day or those arsonists, rioters, anarchists and plunderers who burned or sacked whole communities in the summer of 2020? Was he referring to those who defile our national symbols like the flag, National Anthem, monuments to our history or who demonize our Founding Fathers and marginalize others based on the color of their skin?

I did find his use of the phrase, “disdain for pluralism” odd though. Sage Publishing, a global academic publisher that focuses on social and behavioral science, defines pluralism as, “when groups maintain their individual identities. In a pluralistic society, groups remain separate, and their cultural and social differences persist over time.” If that’s what Bush meant for us to aspire to, it’s the opposite of assimilation.

Sage’s definition goes on to say, “Assimilation is a process in which formerly distinct and separate groups come to share a common culture and merge together socially. As a society undergoes assimilation, differences among groups decrease.” Could it be that focusing on pluralism over assimilation is an incomplete view of America?

Perhaps we can celebrate our differences as well as our similarities. Of course there are differences in the way we think, our lifestyles, the values we hold, our ethnicity and the unique cultures we love. But there’s always been an overriding trait that makes us uniquely American. It’s written in the Declaration of Independence that we “are endowed by (our) Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.” Let’s continue to follow this course toward a “more perfect union” together, while we celebrate our differences as well as our common interests.

Finally, as if acutely aware of our recent exit from Afghanistan, Bush turned his attention to the military.

“Let me speak directly to veterans and people in uniform,” he said. “The cause you pursued at the call of duty is the noblest America has to offer. You have shielded your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the downtrodden. You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places. You have been a force for good in the world. Nothing that has followed – nothing – can tarnish your honor or diminish your accomplishments. To you, and to the honored dead, our country is forever grateful.”

Again I say, Amen!