Patriotism-An American Tradition

Transcription

1 Patriotism-An American Tradition 9-11 TEMPLATE Event Time: School: Duration of Presentation: Thank you for volunteering to share your story and help educate our Next Generation of young student leaders about American Patriotism and Service. We hope this template will help you as you prepare your presentation. It outlines a few administrative aspects to keep in mind as security at all schools has heightened since The template will also touch on what we call the Educational Value to the Student of the Patriotism-An American Tradition program, as well as a Call to Action. We appreciate you weaving some of these Value-Ad aspects into your presentation as it will help to educate your audience about why we as a country remember It will also help Connect-the-Dots on how each child can like you -- help make our nation stronger through the promotion of selfless acts of service. As an example: - What is your calling? ADMIN: -- Is it volunteering to help deliver meals to the old and infirm? -- Is it mowing the lawn of someone who is disabled down the street? -- Whether you feel a specific calling today or not -- please remember to do your part -- to selflessly serve others. 1) Arrival: Please arrive at the school a half hour prior to the event to check in at the front office. The office will notify the event s POC of the veteran s arrival. This person will guide the veteran throughout his/her time at the school. 2) 60-second introduction: Veterans should provide their POC with a brief 60-second introduction (2 paragraphs), which can be used to introduce the veteran to the audience. 3) A/V: If you will be needing any special Audio-Visual equipment (i.e., computer with PowerPoint, Projector, Overhead Projector, etc.), please be sure to contact your POC for the event and coordinate with them at least two days prior for the support. EDUCATIONAL VALUE TO THE STUDENT:

2 INTRO: Before I begin today, I d like to ask everyone here to think about what it means to be a hero (Pause for about 5 seconds). Webster s defines a hero as: 1. Someone of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities 2. A person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. Every day, men and women across the world are American Heroes. They wake up, put on a uniform, and serve us. Without fail, without asking for more. They serve, protect, save, and don t think twice when they are called upon to give. Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters, EMS, the Military. All are first responders and in my book ALL are Heroes.* *NOTE: At this time say: I d like to ask all of you who have ever had one of your family members serve in Law Enforcement, as a Firefighter, in EMS or in the Military, to please stand and be recognized. After leading the applause, begin with a history of 9-11 (See Below): 1) History of September 11, 2001: (Please try to weave at least three of the following historical points into your presentation) - On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110- story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767 United Airlines Flight 175 appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center and sliced into the south tower near the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack. - As millions watched the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to the structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.

3 - Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke. The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 miles per hour and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m., the other Trade Center tower collapsed. Close to 3,000 people died in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 others were treated for injuries, many severe. - Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane United Flight 93 was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airfone calls to the ground. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection. One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett Jr., told his wife over the phone that "I know we're all going to die. There's three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey." Another passenger Todd Beamer was heard saying "Are you guys ready? Let's roll" over an open line. Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to him were "Everyone's running to first class. I've got to go. Bye." - The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All 45 people aboard were killed. Its intended target is not known, but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard. - At 7 p.m., President George W. Bush, who had spent the day being shuttled around the country because of security concerns, returned to the White House. At 9 p.m., he delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, declaring: -- "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve." -- In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared: "We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." - Operation Enduring Freedom, the American-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden's terrorist network based there, began on October 7. Within two months, U.S. forces had effectively removed the Taliban from operational power,

4 but the war continued, as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to defeat a Taliban insurgency campaign based in neighboring Pakistan. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks, remained at large until May 2, 2011, when he was finally tracked down and killed by U.S. forces at a hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In June 2011, President Barack Obama announced the beginning of large-scale troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, with a final withdrawal of U.S. forces tentatively scheduled for ) The Meaning of 9-11: (Please try to weave at least two of the following points into your presentation) - For many of your grandparents and great-grandparents, they could tell you exactly where they were when they heard about Pearl Harbor. In the same way, many of your teachers have parents who can say where they were when President Kennedy was shot. Today, more 10 years after the worst attack in our country's history, nearly all of us know exactly where we were on Sept. 11. The tragedy of that day has become a defining moment for our generation when the world as we knew it changed forever. - So, how do we make sense of the meaning of 9-11? On the 10 th anniversary of 9-11, Rudy Giuliani, the mayor of New York City at the time of the attack, penned an article in USA Today concerning the subject of finding meaning in the aftermath of Sept. 11th. He wrote: It stands as the defining event of the 21st century. For me, 9/11 remains puzzling. It was the worst day of my life and the best day. It was the worst day because of the incomprehensible death, destruction and evil. Very soon after the attacks, we began to understand the threat posed by Islamic extremist terrorism. However, he also wrote: Sept. 11 was also the best day because it put on display the very finest human instincts compassion, courage, kindness, selflessness. First-responders rushed into what they knew was a life-threatening emergency, neighbors helped neighbors, and aid poured from good people all over the country and the world. As Mayor Giuliani pointed out in the article: When people endure a traumatic event, they are either defeated or made stronger. On Sept. 11, I told New Yorkers, I want you to emerge stronger from this. My words were partially a hope and partially an observation that people in New York City handle big things better than little things. I could not be more proud of the way my city responded. At the conclusion of his article, Mayor Giuliani goes on to say: Today, the city is stronger than 10 years ago. More people live here and its economy is stronger, even as we endure the problems plaguing the national economy. There's been no reduction in the desire of people to live and visit New York. We are a safer and better prepared city. I believe we are spiritually stronger, as well.

5 - In many respects, the same points Mayor Giuliani made might be said of our country. The fact is it may be years before historians are able to fill our Social Studies books with a conclusive meaning to the events that transpired on that tragic date of Sept. 11, However, as Mayor Giuliani mentioned in his article, one thing is certain the very finest human instincts compassion, courage, kindness and selflessness were on display for the entire world to see that day. - On this day, it s important to remember that sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance. America s collective consciousness demands that all citizens recall and be aware of the nearly 3,000 victims who died on It s important to remember those on United Flight 93, who launched the first counter-offensive in the Global War on Terrorism. It s important to remember those 400 first-responders who rushed into the Twin Towers to save lives. It s important for us to recall those who fought their way through the flames at the Pentagon to save the lives of those trapped in the wreckage. And, it s equally important for us to remember the more than 6,500 men and women of America s armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice since Far too often, the nation as a whole takes for granted the freedoms all Americans enjoy. -- Those freedoms were paid for with the lives of others few of us actually knew. -- That s why they are all collectively remembered on this special day. - We remember the loss of loved ones, a sense of loss that takes group form. -- In essence, America is commemorating those who demonstrated the very finest human instincts compassion, courage, kindness and selflessness. CALL TO ACTION: (Please weave at least one of the following into your presentation). Some examples follow: - Means of paying tribute vary. -- Pausing for a few moments of personal silence is available to everyone. - All across America, young people in JROTC programs (like this one here at ), join veterans, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, civic groups and other concerned citizens to: -- place flags at gravesites or memorials around the country including New York City, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. - There are others such as the students and staff members at White Knoll Middle School in Lexington County, S.C. who decided in the days following 9-11, to replace a firetruck that was destroyed when the Twin Towers fell. After two-and-a-half months of wearing red plastic fireman hats and carrying donation buckets to football games, holding car washes, selling tee shirts and buttons, etc., they raised over $500,000 to replace New York City s Ladder 101 firetruck! CONNECT-THE DOTS: (Please ask a question near the end of your presentation to invoke thought concerning the possible actions students can take to make a difference). I d like to leave you with a parting question(s): Some examples follow:

6 - Given what you may have learned today, has your knowledge and understanding of 9-11 changed? - Given what you may have learned today, how will you seek to honor the victims of 9-11? - Given the sacrifice of those we honor today, how will you help to make this community, our state and nation, a safer, freer, stronger and better place for your children and grandchildren to raise their families in? - What is your calling? -- Is it volunteering to help deliver meals to the old and infirm? -- Is it mowing the lawn of someone who is disabled down the street? -- Is it helping the families of local Law Enforcement, Firefighters, EMS and our Military recover after they have been injured in the line of duty or made the ultimate sacrifice to protect you and I? CONCLUSION: -- Whether you feel a specific calling today or not -- please remember to do your part -- to selflessly serve others. - The speaker will wrap up his/her conversation with the students with something poignant to them concerning the importance of remembering 9-11.