Two years later, the images remain indelible. The blue sky. The silhouettes of the planes. The smoke. The flames. The paper.
And as if those images could possibly fade, there are reminders. Homeland Security and the Patriot Acts. Orange alerts and long lines at the airport.
Yet beneath all that, there’s something else that’s harder to describe yet shared by almost everyone, that is the change to the American identity; each person’s self-image in a country made a target, in a world put on edge.
For some, September 11th was a defining moment, altering forever a sense of safety or confidence. For others, the jolt of that day has dulled with time. What it means to be an American at home and abroad, two years after 911.
Guests:
Kevin Coyne, author of “Marching Home: To War And Back With the Men of One American Town” and Professor at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
Jack Laurence, Author of “The Cat from Hue: a Vietnam War
Story”
Vivian Gornick, author of numerous essays and books including the memoir, “Fierce Attachments”
Chuck Mathers, friend of a 9.11 victim.