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In 1812, our old enemy and now ally, Great Britain, invaded our country. As Americans defended
Fort McHenry during the British attack on September 13, 1814 Francis Scott Key wrote:
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Yes, it does wave – at half mast now. But
that is fitting tribute to those who died on Sept. 11th,
to those who were injured, to those Americans who lost family
and friends, to all of us who lost something intangible.
I have to wonder if the terrorists who perpetrated these terrible acts realize what they have done. Do they understand the American character well enough to
know that they have awakened a deep resolve that runs through our history, a resolve that may have grown complacent in recent years? Do they understand our fierce love of county amid our internal
bickering, our dedication to freedom?
Do they understand our thirst for justice?©
Jan Mincy, Editor
The Times Tribune, 09/13/01
Brookshire, Texas |