September 11, 2004
The third anniversary of the terror attacks on the United States.
It is sometimes difficult to track the passage of time, but with something
like this day to measure it against, it is surprising to see how quickly
it can
pass us by.
They say that time heals all wounds, but in the case of the
attacks of 9.11.01, it is not certain that any amount of time
can ever completely heal the pain felt not only by those who
lost loved ones, but by this nation as a whole.
In the weeks following September 11th of 2001,
there was
an intense unity among Americans, who stood together
in defiance of the motives of the evil minds
who perpetuated these horrendous acts. We weren't going to
allow them to defeat the American Spirit of freedom, and we
stood as one.
We seem to have lost some of our national unity,
our
single-minded patriotism, our sense of community. Time
does allow life to go on for those who survive, but I hope
that our country never forgets our debt of gratitude to heroes
like our troops fighting in Iraq, our Civil Defense Authorities, and
to the great people on United Airlines Flight 93, who made an
ultimate choice in sacrificing their own lives in an attempt to
spare many others from a similar fate.
Never forget.
Following are the most recent tributes to Nicole Miller, submitted
by a number of people who have not forgotten the heroic acts
of the Passengers of UA Flight 93.
DEDICATED TO THE PERSON WHO WAVED
THE BATH TOWEL FROM THE TOP FLOOR OF THE NORTH TOWER ON SEPTEMBER
11TH 2001.
NOT BEING AMERICAN, I CAN GIVE AN OBJECTIVE POINT OF VIEW.
GIVE ME YOUR TIRED AND WEARY FROM THE ELLIS ISLAND QUEUE.
DRIVING IN FROM KENNEDY, THOSE EARLY IMMIGRANTS CROWD THE INTERSTATE.
AT CALVARY AND MOUNT ZION, THEY HAVE CREATED REALITY FROM DREAMS,
AND YOUR AT ITS GATE.
GIVE THEM LIBERTY, THE TYPE THAT TYRANNY CONFOUNDS.
WHERE PEOPLE ARE FREE WONDERFUL ENERGY ABOUNDS.
THEIR LEGACY TO US ARE THE BUILDINGS THAT STAND.
ON THE ISLAND OF THE HILLS SO PROUD, SO GRAND.
THE THING THAT GRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATES THIS SO WELL, SO FINE.
IS THAT MAN MADE GRAPHIC EQUALISER , THE MANHATTAN SKYLINE.
TWO HIGH PEAKS ARE MISSING WHERE SYMBOLS ARE NORMALLY FOUND.
WILL THE HARMONY BE BROKEN, THE LOSS SO PROFOUND.
IN ITS SPIRITUAL HOME MR LENNONS IMAGINATION STANDS PROUD AND TALL.
FOR NEW YORKS A RACIAL LIQUIDIZER, TEACHES TOLERANCE FOR ALL.
MANY YEARS FROM NOW WHAT WILL 9-11 MEAN, A DATE OF COURSE, A NUMBER
PERHAPS.
STILL CONNECTING TO THOSE GUYS WEARING NYC DEPARTMENT BASEBALL CAPS.
THE REST OF THE WORLD SINGS A CHORUS FROM THAT OLD SINATRA SONG.
ITS UP TO YOU NEW YORK NEW YORK, WE KNOW IT WONT BE LONG.
YOUR TEARS WILL DRY FOR THOSE HEARTS SO BRAVE AND TRUE.
THATS WHY THE REST OF THE WORLD LOVES THE RED WHITE AND BLUE.
FINALLY, BACK IN ENGLAND THE YANKEES ARE NOT JUST A BASEBALL TEAM,
NOT JUST NEW YORK CITY..... BUT THE DEFINITIVE WORD TO DESCRIBE THE
AMERICAN NATION. IM HERE TODAY, ONE MAN TO PAY HOMAGE TO YOUR UNFORGOTTEN
PAST WITH UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS IN
THE WORLD SERIES OF EVENTS, BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE BASEBALL TO SAY ..........GO
YANKEES !!!!.
I'm a 23 year old girl from Holland
an I just read every word of the tribute
to Nicole,
so catching and so beautiful.
What a loss to this world!
Ofcourse the 11th of September gave me a big shock, but it never felt
so
close and so real as now I've seen your memory of Nicole.
I never knew her, but reading those beautiful words about her makes
me feel
like I did know her.
And that brings along a deep feeling of sadness.
Now I will never forget her.
Ik hope that the memory of Nicole keeps you going!
Much love from Holland
Frouke
There are no words that can really
explain the emotions that I feel right now. So therefore, I will just
say this- I hope that I have learned to live my day as it may be my
last- sometimes it is hard not to take life for granted....... but
when I arrived upon this memorial for Nicole- it brought me back to
reality- I have a 3 yr old son and I'm only 22yrs and my husband is
24- it is most important to me to let them know everyday, 10,20,1,000,000,000
times a day how much they mean to me. Good people are taken from us,
I know as a mom we like to use that famous quote "life's not
fair"-- and I don't think I will be using it anymore- b/c in
the means of it all- it isn't fair---and there is no book to help
you on just how to deal with that- you take it how it comes, and it
hurts.
Love is everything!!!!!
Just a quick note to say, I am so
very sorry you lost a wonder, daughter, sister, and friend.
May love, comfort and peace be with you all.
Thank you so much for sharing your daughter's and sister's memory
with me.
Soon we will all live in a wonderful peaceful world, just keep praying
for God's Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven!! (Matthew 6:9,10)
Paradise earth is to be restored by God's Kingdom. ( Rev. 21:3-5)
Also the earth will soon be filled with only those who are peaceful
and transformed into being perfect like he intended mankind to be
since the beginning. (Psalms 72:7) and the wicked will be destroyed
who have no love and are not peaceable. . . . . ( 2 Th 1:6-9)
I, cry with you, for your daughter and sister, find comfort in this
promise found in John 5:28,29.
Again, may love & peace be with you all,
Brenda in Texas.
Dear Nicole,
I simply wish your family and friends
would have had one more day with you.
You look so sweet and beautiful. I
am sure you are being missed by so many people.
Just know that a lot of people think
about you. I know I do and I’ll keep on doing that.
Rest in peace, Nicole.
Saskia – The Netherlands
Three years later...
Three years have passed since the world changed. Three years since
the day which will remain clear in many of our minds. The day which
was won at the last second by Nicole Miller and her fellow passengers
of Flight 93. The 9/11 Comission Report states that the plane was
crashed as a last-minute attempt to stop the passengers from overtaking
the terrorist pilots. Inside of about 20 seconds, the passengers would
have broken through to the cockpit.
Even though the terrorists dropped the plane, the passengers won the
battle. The ball was in their court. They knew the tally going in
to play their quarter. They won, despite the crash. That plane was
full of heroes, people who wouldn't take no for an answer, and probably(from
what I've read of them) never took any garbage from anyone. They weren't
about to start doing either on that morning, either.
The world paid a heavy price that September morning, but it wasn't
a total loss in some ways. People reassessed their values and goals
as a result of the magnitude of what happened. The greatest lesson
learned, though, was through the actions of the NYFD and Nicole Miller
and co. on Flight 93. They all looked the devil right in the eyes...and
made him blink. They made his minions run in panic like the scared
little chickens they are.
The 1990s were a time of questioning of just what the measure of a
true hero was/is. Well, the definition of a hero was defined on 9/11,
three years ago. Not a day, or somtimes second, goes by when I don't
think about that morning. As I said before in my first posts so long
ago, I felt something wasn't quite right in the air during the summer
before the attacks. I knew that until then there had been no real
war, and that it felt like something might be coming over the horizon...
I still feel for all those who passed on that morning, and for those
who knew/loved them, including Nicole and her family. I've worked
for about two years on a task which at times seemed impossible, but
I finally achieved the half-way point recently. I think it should
be smooth sailing to the end-goal now. I didn't let it get me down
and give up; that's not my style. (Some people are truly shocked by
my high level of persistance.) Nor was that the style and message
of Flight 93. At certain times, I honestly feel that someone or multiple
someones are watching out for/over me. And during some of these times,
I get a partial sense that one of them might be Nicole. She's never
been far from my thoughts.
I don't know if Bin Laden will ever be caught; I don't feel that's
the most important thing. The important thing is that we've so far
successfully sent his goons the right message. We're not them. We
don't sneak around, thinking nobody will notice us until the last
minute. We get in there and take out the trash. They thought we were
weak, stupid. After their sneak attack, they quickly realized how
truly WRONG they were. The terrorists at the controls must have been
petrified by the fact their so-called victims were more than willing
to take out the trash that was in the cockpit of the plane. The passengers
didn't even consider death as an option.
According to Todd Beamer's phone call, he said he was going out on
faith. I can't help but feel that Nicole and many others were there
with him, recitng that Psalm. I also feel that since the battle that
morning was won by Freedom, that it could be a strong indication of
the ultimate outcome of this war.
The terrorist's attack was designed to break us, and cripple us to
the core. It did...but only for a time. We needed time, to regroup,
assess our losses. But once we successfully began that, it was time
to learn from our loss, and strike back, as one.
People are vocally divided by the decisions made to sent troups to
known countries to fight terrorisits, but one thing remains clear:
Flight 93 was headed for the White House. If the passengers had not
stopped them, there would have been no central command base to coordinate
our counteroffensive. Say what you will about the Presiden't desicions;
this is not the web site or occassion to get into debates. I'm just
saying that Nicole and the others on Flight 93, through their actions,
made it possible for our Commander In Chief's command base to remain
secured. They gave us our chance to form a plan to strike back.
I believe there is a God, and an afterlife. I also feel that Nicole
and those many others who passed on that morning and in times past
are still watching over us. We owe Nicole and the others not only
our freedom, but our lives as well.
Rest In Peace, Crew and Passengers of Flight 93. You're true heroes.
-Jimmy Collins
scific1258@aol.com
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I Remember
I taught fourth grade at Allen School in San Jose. Nicole Miller
sat near the back of class and was very quiet until she didn't
understand an assignment. A bright hummingbird with huge glasses
kept quietly attacking my desk. She brought bright, specific
questions to make sure she was doing it right. She would nod
and jump back to her desk. Nicole never hesitated to ask. I
believe she was brighter than she gave herself credit for at
the time.
It took a while to get to know Nicole. I learned she was highly
valued as an athlete. Boys fought for her to be on a team. She
was modest about her skills. Nicole was unique. Her hair was
piled in cute styles, she carried herself with confidence and
seriousness. I knew she often worried. Her kind and gentle personality
was a gift to our classroom.
Yes, I could image Nicole being heroic. She was directed and
strong. And good. And courageous. I am honored to have known
her. Nicole is surely still with me.
Sheila Paquette Acojido
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It is very hard to believe that it
has been three years since that awful day. I have been coming to pay
respect to you Nicole for a couple of years now. I have not forgotten
what happened to you and the other victims of that day. You are and
will be in my thoughts.
God bless you Nicole.
As we come closer to the anniversary
of 9/11 - there are many programs
airing to commemorate the tragic event. Every single time I see something
about 9/11 - I am still overcome with a feeling of disbelief.
I came across the memorial for your
daughter accidentally and was profoundly
touched by the beauty of her, all that was written about her and the
loss
you suffer with her absence from your life. I am so sorry for the
sorrow
you endure.
I don't have words of comfort or explanation
- I don't believe there are
any. But thank you for sharing this lovely woman with us. I also have
two
daughters and they are treasures, just as your Nicole was and still
is to
you.
Sincerely,
Joni Jobs
Tomorrow is the third anniversary
of the September 11th terrorist attacks and I am thinking of Nicole
and all who lost their lives on that tragic day in American history.
I am proud of Nicole and of the other Flight 93 passengers whose bravery
and courage we will never forget.
Shannon Sequeira
Morgan Hill, CA
