A Day of Remembrance, Reflection, and Honor

Good afternoon everyone! It has certainly been a while since we last spoke.

As I look out onto Central Street the sun is shining, people are going about their business, traffic is moving, there is a light breeze and the temperature is in the comfortable 70s with a few puffy clouds. This might well lead one to think all is right with the world.

Sadly, the latter is all too fleeting at best. As we read or listen to the news we are, as always it seems, assailed with tragedy, negativity, death and destruction. Present-day conversations revolve around disease, war, violence, questionable politics and more issues that carry negative connotations. Of course, included here is the national conversation criticizing law enforcement. While this subject deserves learned attention and consideration, this piece is not about these matters.

Instead, I want to take a few moments to remember the past. Frankly, the past I have in mind is presently a few days shy of 20 years ago.

Similar to incidents such as the John F. Kennedy assassination (for those old enough to remember) I’m sure the vast majority of us recall exactly what we were doing on September 11, 2001.

I was getting ready to travel to the Pepperell Skydiving Center in Pepperell, Massachusetts. I had planned to meet some friends for a couple of mid-week skydives (cops and our strange schedules). As I dressed, I turned on the television and saw the first tower burning. My first thought was, “How do firefighters battle a high-rise conflagration?” In other words, my mind was focused on issues with which I believed I was somewhat familiar…certainly not terrorism. In the behavioral sciences, such thought processes are known as “normalcy bias”. Of course, some seconds later I saw what the rest of the world witnessed…the second airplane crashing into the second tower.

Well, it goes without saying that history was made and everyone’s life changed. As we have so often heard, the country pulled together. But it always follows that such behavior is never permanent. Human beings are, by nature, selfish and self-centered. Of course, at the same time, we can be very giving and thoughtful of others. We exemplify the ability to exist and function in and on more than one plane of thought and deed almost simultaneously.

With the passage of time, we all went back to our daily lives and the many component parts of which they are comprised. Once air space was reopened to commercial and private flights, I returned to my passion…skydiving. But something was very different, at least for me.

My excitement and enjoyment were tempered by the ever-present thoughts that there were many who were acting in my behalf so that I might enjoy myself. Frankly, every time I prepared to jump, boarded the plane, flew to altitude and threw myself into the air at 14,000 feet I felt a twinge of guilt. How could I completely enjoy myself while our military and all first responders stood on what Winston Churchill and George Orwell referred to as “the wall” in order to protect the rest of us so we might sleep soundly?

Certainly, I acknowledged that these feelings were mine alone and eventually I realized further that even I deserved to enjoy life. But I will say this. Every time I now board a jump plane (or engage in any activity this incredible country gives me the opportunity to enjoy), I always whisper a sincere “thank you”.

In honor of the upcoming 20^th anniversary of 9/11, police officers from around the country who are also skydivers have been invited to jump with the American Flag as a nation-wide demonstration of solidarity, patriotism and thanks. Weather and circumstances permitting, I will “fly” the National Colors and a New York City Police Department flag on 9/11. The latter was given to me by a retired NYPD officer who was there on that very fateful day.

Before I close this piece, I would like to provide some of the facts that we, as Americans, should never forget.

Time line:

    0759: American Flight 11 departs Boston for Los Angeles

    0815: United Flight 175 departs Boston for Los Angeles

    0820: American Flight 77 departs Washington/Dulles for Los Angeles

    0842: United Flight 93 departs Newark for San Francisco

    0846: American Flight 11 crashes into North Tower of WTC

    0903: United Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of WTC

    0937: American Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon

    0942: FAA grounds all flights

    0959: South Tower collapse

    1003: United Flight 93 crashes in Shanksville, PA

    1015: Collapse of the Pentagon E-ring

    1028: North Tower collapse

    1216: US airspace closed

    1720: Collapse of 7 World Trade Center

Death toll:

    2977 total…2958 without the hijackers/terrorists

The above totals include:

• 343 firefighters (including a chaplain and two paramedics) of the New York City Fire Department (NYFD)
• 37 police officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department
• 23 police officers of the New York City Police Department (NYPD)
• 8 emergency medical technicians and paramedics from private emergency medical services
• 3 New York State Court Officers
• 1 patrol officer from the New York Fire Patrol

Dear readers, I would humbly ask that we remember New York, The Pentagon and Pennsylvania in our own ways and this Saturday whisper a heartfelt “thank you”.
- Chief David Goldstein