No one will ever forget the image of the firefighters and the police running up the stairs of the World Trade Center while others frantically ran down. We understood that there were those who had a duty to respond, but those who chose to respond appeared to have been equally dedicated.

Many surviving firefighters, police and emergency rescue workers in New York City, who volunteered to work in the toxic dust, smoke and debris piles after the September 11 attacks, have encountered respiratory problems, so the pain of the tragedy has lingered on.

We should not forget the illnesses of civilians who simply showed up to help with the disaster. The severity of their illnesses appeared to be related to how soon they arrived at Ground Zero. After Ground Zero recovery operations ended, the dust remained in nearby duct work and interior spaces for a long period of time, causing gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses.

In addition to the innocent victims who lost their lives, there are many brave workers who must live with life-long, life-threatening illnesses. There are 71,000 firefighters, police, residents and volunteers documented in the World Trade Center Health Registry, the registry based on self-reporting of symptoms.

Regarding Flight 93, Post-Gazette Staff Writer Dennis B. Roddy said, They became the first casualties in a strange new combat against an enemy as old as hatred and as unclear as the muffled shouts and groans investigators later heard on the cockpit voice recorder, dug out of a reclaimed strip mine on a Pennsylvania hillside.

The phrase "Let's roll," the words used by a passengers on Flight 93 who fought with others for his life, has now become a battle cry for our fight against the terrorists.

The lives of Americans were indelibly changed on the day when the World Trade Center, portions of the Pentagon and Flight 93 were destroyed. The pain reverberated throughout the country and reflected what was best about the American spirit.

The brave men and women who came to the rescue of their fellow citizens and those who helped in the aftermath cannot be elevated enough. Although all knew the significant risk associated with their particular situations, there was no hesitation to go the extra mile. Those of us who are left behind realize that it may be impossible to ever equal the courage shown on that day.

The vertical collapse of the towers forced thoughts about those who make it possible for us to have the great freedom we enjoy in our country everyday. How futile of the terrorists to think they could take that away from us.

As those who died are now one in death, we must be one in a new life that embraces and demarcates a deeper concern for our fellow Americans. We must be determined to never forget our heroes.

It is important to remember September 11 because of the extraordinary self-sacrifice of those whose names we never knew, yet the memory of each person will be etched into our hearts forever.

Learn more about this author, Kathy Fortune M.D..
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