TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Sept. 11 On The Freedom Trail

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 24, 2008

Earlier this

This month, Americans marked the anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Some visited the site of the World Trade Center in New York; others gathered in a Pennsylvania field; and many attended ceremonies at the Pentagon.

More than a thousand miles from Tampa, my wife and I made our way to the Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Mass. We could think of no better place to be on such a day.

By late afternoon, we found ourselves at the North Bridge, where colonial Minutemen first fired on British regulars and the world changed forever. This nation was born in the determination of citizen-soldiers to resist oppression and to take a courageous stand for liberty.

We told our park ranger guide why we were there. He replied that we were the first visitors that day to make a connection between the events of April 19, 1775, and Sept. 11, 2001. He had given his presentation to hundreds of people, he said, and most appeared to skate through the historic site on the surface, without a clue, as if the bloody cauldron of conflict in which liberty was forged was nothing more than a stylized story in a comic book for their amusement or distraction.

I am an outspoken Christian, and I lean easily toward pacifism; I struggle deeply regarding matters of war and arms. I also understand the dynamics of what occurred: first on Lexington Green and later in Concord. If the Minutemen had not taken such a stand, George Washington would have had no reason to command, the Continental Congress would have had no independence to declare, and the pen of Thomas Jefferson would have had nothing to write.

I am weary of war and mistrustful of this presidential administration, but my visit to Concord on Sept. 11 reminded me that I am not tired of liberty and will never have my fill of freedom.

I wish we lived in a world governed by good intentions and crafted in peace. Until that day, however, I stand with the United States as this planet's one great hope because we still carry the torch of liberty with principle and we continue to do this freedom great honor.

If you doubt me, take a trip to Concord. There are a number of National Park Service guides on hand who will do their best to tell you the depths of the story of America.

It is a story we all should know better.

Columnist Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul @gmail.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT