CityView Magazine

editors' corner A Decade Later L Rebekah Sanderlin, senior editor ike most Americans, I clearly remember September 11, 2001. I worked for a newspaper in Memphis, Tenn. at the time and was getting ready to go to work when news broke that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. We all know the rest of that hor- rible story. What I didn't know then was how much that tragic day would come to define the next decade for the country as a whole and for me personally. I was single on September 11, 2001 and didn't even know anyone in the military. Two short years later I was married to a soldier and settling into life here in Fayetteville, just as the war in Iraq was about to begin. Perhaps no community in the United States has felt the continued effects of that awful day like ours. Even as the shock of the attacks faded for the rest of the country, people here dealt with multiple deployments, casualties and the many other ramifications of a decade spent at war. And yet — amazingly — the news hasn't been all bad, for the nation and certainly not for us in Fayetteville. In fact, much of the news has been good. We, as a community, have learned what we are made of, and it is powerful stuff. We have set an example for the country in patriotism, resiliency and support for the military. Our businesses have thrived and our residents have taken hardships in stride and become better for them. We share some of their stories in this issue and I'm sure that you will be as inspired by your neighbors as I am. September 11, 2001 will remain in all our memories as one of the worst days in the history of our nation, but the decade that followed is one that this community should be proud of. T his month everyone around the world will be commemorating the tenth anniver- sary and all that comes with remembering 9/11 — the lives lost, the heroes, the survivors and all the stories from their loved ones. Even now it is still not easy to see raw photos captured by photographers who happened to be in camera shot of the atrocities that morning, but it's a piece of our history. If you can call it a silver lining, the one thing I recall after 9/11 is how our country banded together to support each other and took the time to just listen and be there for a neighbor, a co-worker, or anyone who endured loss. It was out of that tragedy that this pride for the U.S.A. bounded forth from the rubble and there was magnanimous support for our military, firemen, police and other heroes who volunteered. Many times during that year I got teary eyed as the world viewed our military through a different lens. Tales of applause and standing ovations took place for service members coming and going through airports and commercials and ad campaigns took on a different flavor. Many civilians took that opportunity to go back into the military or to start anew with a career that served something greater than themselves and the almighty dollar. That feeling of unity was something that surpassed political affiliations, pettiness and any dif- ferences that seemed big at the time. Our country is certainly in a different state now, but maybe on 9/11 for one day, we can feel that again and be accepting of one another. Kelly Twedell, features editor 10 | September/October • 2011

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