"Candidly Yours"

November 5, 2001

The Walking Wounded
by Linda A. Prussen-Razzano

Much like the military and politics, policemen and firefighters enjoy camaraderie completely separate from mainstream society. At a policeman’s wedding, many of his ushers will undoubtedly be policemen. At a fireman’s funeral, his pallbearers are customarily fellow firemen. My girlfriend’s gatherings are usually full of fellow law enforcement officers. At my own grandfather’s funeral, a volunteer fireman who served with him many years before, and who was virtually unknown to most of us, still felt compelled to attend his wake and speak highly of him.

While most of us since September 11, 2001 have the luxury of turning off our televisions when the repeated visions of that disastrous day appear, New York City’s Bravest and Finest are still battling at Ground Zero. They have not, through circumstance, been afforded the same luxury. Far too many will forever carry scenes of carnage so horrific, the television stations will not broadcast them. We should resist the tendency, in our comparatively comfortable state, to pass quick judgement on individuals who are still facing trials we know nothing about.

This is not to suggest that the assaults against New York’s Finest by New York’s Bravest were warranted. With several family members and friends on the New York City Police Force, I can’t help being alarmed by acts of violence against them, particularly at a time when so many are strained to their breaking point. Privately shared stories of their grief and turmoil, the intractable reactions to what were once insignificant events, speak of individuals who are weary to their very souls.

Further, this is not to suggest that Mayor Giuliani was incorrect in limiting the number of recovery workers present. Not only does New York City yearn for an inkling of emotional healing, a healing hampered by the permanent scars so readily evident at Ground Zero; there are health risks involved with the presence of so many dead not properly buried, so much debris still unsound, and so many workers exposed to continued danger.

This is, however, a suggestion that we should remember the vast scope of grief under which these folks are functioning. Despite their bravery, despite their heroism, they are – in truth – simply human beings. They did not merely lose co-workers; they lost friends, family members, and associates they relied on through some of life’s most tenuous moments. They didn’t just lose individuals from their companies or precincts, they lost the support staff of other organizations they had come to know and trust who also shared their beats.

As brutal as the terrorist attacks appeared on television, it was dramatically different for those witnessing it firsthand. We can look at the picture of the young mother, holding her precious infant out a broken window, desperate to give her beloved child a few moments of fresh air. We can be moved, on an instinctual level, as that poor baby’s arms reach out for salvation that perhaps did not come, for a future that would not be. But we did not experience the horror of bodies slamming into the pavement around us. We did not fight the falling debris to enter burning buildings and guide terrified souls to safety. Like rubber-neckers on the highway, we can view the accident scene but never know what it was like to be in the car before, during, and after the moments of impact.

Americans have a tremendous capacity for sympathy and compassion; their outpouring of love and support have proved that several times over. Many still find a lump in their throat or ache in their heart when watching replays of the September 11, 2001 videotapes, even if they were not personally involved. If such devastation can have that kind of effect on individuals in a relatively detached state, viewing it not as a personal loss but an attack on our country, then we can only imagine how those personally involved must feel.

Perhaps this is why so few Americans I have encountered in my travels fail to care about civilian casualties in Afghanistan. When the Taliban claims our bombing campaign has injured this many women or that many children, only the mainstream media seems to respond with something broaching concern. As one internet resident claimed, "Wake me when we reach 6,000 dead." Perhaps, too, this is why President Bush continues to receive glowing support from the American people. Only the mainstream media appears to question Bush’s every word and act, finds fault wherever it can, and tells us we should care about some verbal gaff or bomb that went astray.

Our wounded are still walking among us; the scuffle last week proves it. Moreso than melted glass or ruptured metal, these individuals are our greatest reminder of September 11, 2001, and all the justification we need to annihilate the Taliban and their supporters. ***

© 2001 Linda Prussen-Razzano

• Photo of B-52 with ordnance and caption sent in by a reader