Today began as I arrived at school this morning subdued and saddened as a result of the news coverage of 9/11 I had watched earlier that day. I did not expect the uplifting twist of the same event which would be shown to me in advisory. This documentary, Boatlift, an Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience, focused on the honorable actions of the boat captains who came together and risked their lives to help evacuate lower Manhattan after the attack on the Twin Towers. This struck me as such a beautiful story of heroism that not only exposes a positive outcome of the tremendous tragedy, but also illustrates ideal American values.
The civilians trapped on the lower end of Manhattan were left with no escape to safety other than leaving by boat. Seeing such a need, many ships in the harbor came to aid in evacuation. Upon the signal from the Coast Guard, large fleets of boats rushed to provide their services. "If it floated and it could get there, it got there", said one captain, interviewed during the film, on the amazing act of teamwork and courage. In a time of need, Americans proved that they could pull themselves together, putting their own worries aside in order to protect their nation and their fellow citizens. Americans show such pride towards their country, and September 11th, 2001 was an example of American citizens joining together for the greater good of the country, which in my mind, is part of the idealistic "American Dream".
The boat evacuation was also a humbling experience for some, for it created all people equal in that moment of terror. One persons wealth couldn't buy them out of that situation. Americans acted with confidence and trust in each other and a pride for the strong moral values of their country. This is the "American Dream" that sometimes is not the reality in our world today. On this day, the citizens of the United States were all brought into the same damaged position, and rose above it all to help together, which is another part of the "American Dream" of equality. Captain of the Amberjack V, Vincent Ardolino, who was involved in the evacuation, commented on the situation, stating, "[We had] housewives...we had executives, and the thing that was the best, everyone helped everyone."
Although an epic tragedy, 9/11 was an event that to this day represents the power of American citizens to act together in times of crisis; a story that can be told with pride, and fulfilling multiple aspects of the "American Dream".
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