Can We Be Heroes Once More?
BY KITTY L. | SHIROOKAMI - DOGS.UNITE | 9.11.2021
A tower of blue light reaching the heavens from the Pentagon in remembrance of September 11, the 20th anniversary. The Capitol Dome is illuminated behind the tower of light as the Memorial overlooks them both. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Our daily lives. We may be rushing to meet demands of life in a large, sprawling city. We may be quietly overlooking peaceful plains, or valleys from the mountains. We may be hard at work, calluses and dirt beneath our nails as testament to our determination. We may be studying so much that we have yet to realize night has already fallen. We may be off the grid, or we may immerse ourselves in the sleepless metropolis of the Internet, redolent with opinions so numerous as they are ephemeral. It was the same then as it is now. But no matter what we do, some awareness has reached us, whether we are close to it, or at the edges of civilization, we sense it. There are revolutions, reforms, chaos, and fear. Division, confusion, a desire to go back to what we knew then, or a desire to escape what we know now. It is natural to feel united against a common enemy. But what if that enemy has become ourselves? May we remember how it felt when those against us tried to take away our daily lives. There were heroes then. Heroes who sacrificed themselves, changing the course of a plane and the course of history. Heroes who rushed to the scene, despite the anguish and despair, sights they can never unsee, in debris that would take their lives as well. Heroes compelled to serve, and heroes who were sent to show us once again being free has a price. And heroes, sharing pain and resolution, who remembered what it means to be Americans, united. The battles showcased today are those of words and thoughts, opinions that wither as they fly further into the real world. Have we abandoned hope in one another, have we abandoned our willingness to work through differences, injustices, and pain? Or can we be heroes once more to one another?
Furthest reaches of the tower of light at 18,000 feet. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
The Counsel to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, FBI Special Agents, a Port Authority of NY and NJ Lieutenant, and an Airborne Ranger share their experiences in the Medal of Honor Theater. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Memorial at the National Marine Corps Museum with pieces of the Pentagon and World Trade Center. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Piece of the Pentagon . | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
View of the Tower of Light emanating from the Pentagon Memorial, which can be seen 60 miles away. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Sitting with fellow photographers and our dogs at the Pentagon Memorial. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI