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Shout Out The Names
Of America's Heroes

By Steve Dasbach

There is a Tibetan proverb that states: "Evil shouts. Goodness speaks
in a whisper."

On September 11, evil shouted its message of violence. Terrorists
commandeered four airliners, and crashed them into the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon. Thousands died.

But in the days that followed, goodness whispered its response, with
untold thousands of acts of quiet compassion, caring, and concern.

Now it is time to add our voice to that whisper, and shout out the
names of America's heroes -- the individuals and organizations that
stepped forward to respond to this nightmare of fire, death, and
destruction.

These American heroes did not answer terrorism with more violence.

They responded with a quiet determination to help their neighbors. With a courage that no terrorist can kill. With an uncomplicated goodness that exemplifies the best of the American spirit.

They gave their time, their money, their blood, their strength -- and, in some cases, their lives.

Let us take a moment to murmur the names of these American heroes:

* United Flight 93 passengers Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham,
and Lou Nacke.

These four men realized that terrorists planned to crash their plane into the White House or the Capitol. If that was allowed to happen, hundreds of people would die.

So with a quiet declaration -- "Let's roll!" -- and armed only with courage, these passengers struck back against the terrorists.

We don't know exactly what happened in those final, frenzied moments. But the plane swerved, dipped, and then crashed into an unpopulated rural area in Pennsylvania.

These four men didn't wait for anyone's orders. They simply took a quick vote and took matters into their own hands. They saved countless lives in the process.

Perhaps General George Patton was thinking of these heroes when he said: "It is foolish and wrong to mourn these men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived."

* America's corporations: When terrorists attacked, America's major corporations responded with an outpouring of generosity.

Daimler Chrysler executives donated $10 million to aid children who lost parents. Anheuser-Busch donated 9,500 cases of bottled water to help relief efforts.

The online company eBay announced it will raise and contribute $100 million. The major networks donated several hours of prime time television for a fundraising telethon.

Microsoft has contributed $10 million. Coca-Cola, $6 million. Starbucks, $1 million. UPS, $4 million. IBM Corporation, $5 million. The list goes on.

America's corporations -- sometimes caricatured as cold-hearted capitalists concerned only with the bottom line -- have stood tall in our nation's hour of need.

* America's blood donors. As the news of the attack echoed across the networks, New Yorkers rushed to donate 5,000 units of blood within 24 hours -- some waiting in line for eight hours.

In Washington, DC, so many blood donors stepped forward that the Red
Cross had to temporarily turn them away. In other locations, the Red Cross set up waiting lists that extended into October.

Giving blood is not an overt, public gesture like waving an American flag. But every extended arm of a blood donor is a private semaphore of determination, announcing that injured Americans will be given a fighting chance for life, and that terrorists will not win.

William Shakespeare once wrote: "When the blast of war blows in our ears...stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood."

When thousands of Americans stood in line, ready to "summon up the blood" for their injured neighbors, they did something more noble, more important, than waving a flag. They gave life itself.

* America's volunteers and contributors. With the ruins of the World Trade Center still smoldering, New Yorkers asked simply, "What can I do?"

Taxicab drivers, businessmen, teachers, and people from a hundred walks of life donned hard hats and began searching for survivors among the twisted steel and shattered concrete. Nurses and doctors volunteered emergency medical services. People contributed clothes and canned goods.

But the outpouring of generosity was not limited to New York's five boroughs. Across America, people who could not contribute their effort contributed money.

During the first eight days, the United Way of America collected $43 million. The Salvation Army collected $20 million. And the American Red Cross collected $129 million.

This money will be used to help the survivors and families. To pay for medical treatment. To help those who were widowed or orphaned by the destruction.

And to show that Americans care.

No, this is not an exhaustive list of the heroes who emerged from the wreckage of September 11. There are too many to count, or to name.

Every parent and teacher who comforted a child. Every priest and minister who held out a promise of eternal hope. Every friend who offered a shoulder to cry on. Every neighbor who lit a candle in
remembrance.

You're all America's heroes.

We salute you.

Steve Dasbach is national director of the Washington, DC-based
Libertarian Party.