9/11 was a day, a moment for the world

9/11 was a day, a moment for the world

Posted on September 11th, 2010 by Jeff McDonald

Did you know that two Thai nationals were among those killed during the terrorist attacks of 9/11? Neither did I.

I learned that during a conversation with Hong Pirojh Chew, a native of that country. It was 2008, and I was part of a Christian mission team in Thailand. Hong and I got to talking during a stop at a roadside market near the northern city of Chiang Mai. I don’t know how our talk got around to 9/11, but it did … and I learned that 9/11 is not just a moment for us here, in America, but for the world.

That point was reinforced a few days later, during a visit to the United States Embassy in Bangkok, and a briefing from Ambassador Eric John and the heads of U.S. economic and law enforcement agencies active in that part of the world. As we got out of the elevator and headed to the briefing room, a framed document on the wall caught my attention. It was a letter, hand-written in Thai, bearing a number of signatures, and illustrated in pen-and-ink with a picture of a Thai village.

The letter, I was told by an embassy staffer, was drafted by the residents of a Thai village in the wake of 9/11, and delivered to the embassy. Simple, straightforward and sincere, the people of that village offered their condolences and their prayers to the people of the United States.

When you look at the world situation as it is at the moment, it’s easy to forget that in the days of shock and uncertainty that followed 9/11, the world was united on at least one point … that a terrible crime had been committed, that the victims and their loved-ones must be comforted, and the guilty parties must be punished. Longtime allies expressed their outrage in word and deed. Neutrals got off the fence and stepped forward, and even some of our harshest critics joined the call for justice … or at least kept silent.

It is good to remember that peoples and the nations of the world — regardless of our differences on other matters — were one when it came to 9/11. It was a day, a moment for the world.

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Jeff McDonald

There's a saying around here, something like, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" That's me. I'm a 'dang Yankee from back-east' who settled in the Lone Star State after some extended stays in the eastern U.S., and New Mexico. I worked as an archaeologist for a few years before dusting off my second major in English, and embarking on a 25-year career in journalism. Since then, I've embraced the dark side of the force, and now work in PR for a community college in Midland, Texas.