In their own words

Brent Turner

‘What would I be doing if I were there right now?’

Sept. 11 opened my eyes as to just how important my job really is

to the American people.

Being a firefighter just seemed like an everyday job to me until

there was a crashing reality check that hit me that morning.

We received an early morning 911 call for a medical aid. We ran

the call, and returned to the station as we would on any other call,

but when we arrived at the station I remember the frantic tone of my

captain as he said, “Turner, come here!”

I ran into the TV room where I saw the aftermath of the first

plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. I did not realize the

magnitude of this whole day until I saw the second plane crash into

the second tower of the World Trade Center.

As I continued to watch in disbelief, my fellow firefighters and I

began to look for coverage of the rescue personnel that were

responding to the scene. As I sat there, it crossed my mind, “What

would I be doing if I were there right now?”

Then, the unthinkable happened. The first tower collapsed. I knew

at that moment that many lives were lost, including fellow

firefighters and police officers.

After the news began covering the additional crashes that took

place at the Pentagon and in rural Pennsylvania I started to wonder,

“What’s next?” That is when the reality of my job really sank in.

As I sat in utter disbelief and helplessness a bit of anger set in

toward the people who were responsible for this attack. I wanted to

be there to help out in any way that I could. Thousands were injured,

thousands were dead, thousands were missing and I was still a bit

shocked at the whole situation.

Firefighters and fellow rescue personnel gave their lives that day

not knowing they would eventually be deemed “America’s Heroes.”

Sept. 11 has put my priorities into check. My family and friends

as well as my fellow firefighter colleagues are that much more

important to me, because as we saw last Sept. 11, you never know what

life is going to deal you.

BRENT TURNER is a firefighter with the Costa Mesa Fire Department.

Using his voice to correct tainted images of Islam in the U.S.

As an imam of the Islamic faith, and like many of my fellow

Americans, I was devastated by the heinous events of Sept. 11.

Undoubtedly, the criminal attacks on our country were the most

painful events ever experienced in modern history. I shared in my

country’s pain and loss that terrible day, but for me, it increased

twofold when I heard that the perpetrators were Muslim.

In all of my adult life, I have preached the message of Islam,

which is founded on peace, justice and the sanctity of all lives.

Nothing in Islam, neither the Koran nor the teachings of Prophet

Mohammad, permits the taking of an innocent person. To the contrary,

Islam equals the murder of an innocent life to that of murdering

mankind.

America was attacked that dreadful day and so was my religion --

and unavoidably all Muslims, in particular American Muslims. Shortly

after the tragedy, our mosque became inundated with many Muslim and

non-Muslim callers. Some callers were condemning and blaming Islam

while others were seeking spiritual comfort and support for the

Muslim community.

Since Sept. 11, my duty as an Islamic leader had taken a turning

point; rather than spiritually enlightening people to God, I found

myself engaged in countless forums and at religious institutes

defining the true message of Islam -- invalidating its rumored and

tainted images. With all sincerity, I wanted my countrymen to know

that American Muslims were grieving along with other Americans, and

that their loss was also our loss. But most of all, I wanted to

deliver the message that Islam adamantly opposes any form of

terrorism.

Today, my sermons continue to highlight Islamic teachings, which

honor life, preach harmony and peace and give dignity to all people.

I have prayed that my presence and words throughout the year have

been a healing hand for others.

* IMAM MOSTAFA QAZWINI runs the Islamic Educational Center of

Orange County-Costa Mesa.

Most flight students have one desire: to learn to fly

Ours is a large flight school, so I have been often asked how the

attacks of last September have affected business. The inquiries are

generally prompted by interest either in our foreign students or the

amount of federal interference we now have to endure. As it turns

out, both lines of inquiry are barely relevant.

We continue to participate in providing student visas to qualified

foreign applicants and are confident we are not contributing to any

national threat. Flight training in the U.S. is significantly less

expensive than in other countries, and there are thousands of foreign

nationals receiving training across the country. Like virtually all

flight students, they are crazy about flying -- and little else. The

six or seven who contributed to Sept. 11 were a tiny minority --

barely visible in a statistical analysis.

As to the government, I saw enough of the FBI from September to

November to become close friends, but the agency now appears to have

lost interest. Like other major schools, we were rushed to provide

thousands of copies of flight training records, but interest quickly

fizzled. Although schools closer to Los Angeles have been more

negatively affected, the inconvenience at John Wayne is now limited

to checking in with Orange County Sheriff’s deputies as we drive on

the field.

There has been one notable effect: every insurance company in the

nation has apparently gone crazy and joined in a price raising

frenzy. This isn’t, however, aviation-specific: friends in every line

of endeavor report the same number of ominous dark fins in the nearby

waters.

Like virtually every human, I mourn the events that triggered this

anniversary. For a while, it seemed inevitable for the aviation

community to feel some measure of guilt, but it is important to

realize that the airplanes on Sept. 11 were a vehicle for insanity,

not the cause.

* MICHAEL CHURCH owns the Sunrise Aviation flight school, the

largest flight school at John Wayne Airport.

Terrorist attack questions still remain unanswered a year later

It was supposed to be just another Tuesday. Surprisingly, my

morning routine was familiar to me by now, including the 5 a.m.

alarm, which stirred me from a sleep much shorter than the ones I

enjoyed only two weeks earlier when summer was in session and classes

were not. Noticing that the clothes I had set out the night before

were still waiting for me to be ironed, I dutifully pulled out the

ironing board and iron and I turned on the television to catch some

news before leaving for Newport Harbor High. The iron wasn’t even hot

to the touch before I knew that this wasn’t going to be a normal news

day.

Though the words “Breaking News” were hard to miss, it was the

image of the billowing black smoke clouds pouring from one of the

World Trade Center buildings in New York City that stopped me cold.

Among the endless amounts of speculation coming from the West Coast

newscasters was the message that a plane had hit the North Tower of

the World Trade Center. Images of a plane hitting one of the

buildings were flashed across the screen.

At first, both the newscasters and I thought that the television

producer was recycling the tape to keep the audience interested. Only

when one of the newscasters realized that we were all watching a live

feed did I understand that a second plane had just hit the South

Tower. I was overtaken by the realization that I had just seen

hundreds of people die instantly on live television. I sat at the

edge of the bed stunned. On my way out the door, I gave my two

children, sleeping the sleep of the blissfully unaware, a kiss and a

hug, thinking that their world would not be the same after what I had

just seen on the television.

For the first time since my first days as a teacher, I was

apprehensive about going to work. Driving to school, I wondered how

would I handle this with my students, how much time would be

allocated for questions and discussion, and plotted out an

explanation of events that would need to be said for those who had

not watched the television while executing their own morning

routines. My ad hoc lesson planning was interrupted by the radio

informing me that the Pentagon had been hit and that other suspicious

planes were being tracked. Confusion turned to anger as I made the

left turn into the faculty parking lot, and I tried to focus more

intently on what the day would be like in my classes. It was 7 a.m.

-- 45 minutes before 2,100 students would be on campus asking

questions and wanting reassurance.

The journalism students had already arrived in Jim Crotwell’s room

across from mine and their focused stares at his television screen

told me they already knew what was happening. Since none of the

televisions in the classrooms were equipped with cable access,

reception was a fuzzy blur at best. Jim and I agreed we should try to

equip the remaining televisions in the social studies classrooms with

makeshift antennas. All the social studies teachers pitched in just

prior to classes starting. We used speaker wire, hangars, radio

antennas, aluminum foil and anything else we could find to clear up

the reception on the television screens. By the time classes started

at 7:45 a.m., there was a working television in every social studies

classroom telling us that both towers had collapsed.

Most students who walked into my first period Advanced Placement

American history class had heard that something had happened on the

East Coast, but few were aware of its significance. The smoldering

ruins of New York’s financial district, accompanied by words like

“utter devastation” and “total loss,” seized the students and, in

rapt attention throughout most of the period, sat silent and lost in

their thoughts of doubt and uncertainty. The images were so powerful

that there was nothing for me to do except watch the events unfold

with them until one of my juniors quietly approached me.

Fifteen minutes into class, David Morihiro quietly left his seat

as the events, including the flights that had been hijacked, scrolled

across the bottom of the television screen. He approached me with a

pale look and a cold sweat and said, “Mr. D’Agostino, my dad was

coming home from Boston today ... this morning.”

“On what carrier?” I asked, knowing that two of the planes were

commandeered from Boston.

“American,” he said, his quivering voice betraying his fear. “Can

I call my mom?”

“Sure you can. I’ll call the front office and tell them to expect

you immediately. Don’t worry,” I bounced back, worried that I had

been anything but convincing with that last statement.

David left the room, but students were able to deduce that these

events were now hitting home. We continued to watch the television,

hoping that what we were seeing wasn’t as bad as it looked. David

eventually returned, telling us his dad had luckily made other travel

arrangements for the day. Finally, I thought, something to be

thankful for amid all the chaos. The bell rang. Students left my

class as though they were leaving midway through a movie, careful not

to disturb anyone in their own silence.

The rest of the day was similar to the experience I had in my

first period. It wasn’t until classes met again that week that I was

able to have frank discussions about the political, economic, social,

ideological and cultural forces that joined together to make the

horrible events of Sept. 11, 2001. The Social Studies Department then

held a symposium for parents and students shortly after things

settled down (if they ever did). In both situations students came to

class ready to talk, wanting clarification and, above all, asking how

their future would be affected.

“Who is to blame?”

“Is it over?”

“Are we going to war?”

“Will there be a draft?”

“Why did this happen?”

As a social studies teacher, no other event in my career

reinforced my purpose and responsibilities as an educator like the

events of Sept. 11. At the same time, I’m not sure that there will

ever be a nice, neat lesson on the events that transpired that day.

Students will still have questions, and we may still not have all the

answers. I think the best we can do is tell them that the classroom

will always be a place to come and talk, share their anxieties

without fear of being mocked, debate ideas and, most of all, feel

safe.

A year later they, still wonder why it all happened. I tell them,

“So do I.”

* PHIL D’AGOSTINO teaches Advanced Placement American History at

Newport Harbor High School.

Carrying the nation’s flame

Before Sept. 11, I was focused on space and technology issues, as

well as foreign policy. My chairmanship of the Space and Aeronautics

subcommittee, and my responsibilities as a senior member of the

International Relations committee, consumed much of my time and

energy.

Things have changed since Sept. 11, a year ago. On the Science

committee, I was dealing with the problems of NASA and cost overruns

of the international space station effort. Since Sept. 11, our

technological imperative has shifted to meeting the challenge of

protecting our homeland. I have already applied to be on the

committee that will oversee the new homeland defense department, if

there is one.

In international relations, my energies have been redirected, as

well. For five years, in the U.S. House of Representatives, I was the

outspoken advocate of U.S. action against the Taliban, promoting an

anti-Taliban coalition of Afghan peoples who were willing to fight

for their own freedom.

Since Sept. 11, my expertise has been put to good use in numerous

meetings with the White House, Pentagon and State Department.

Now that my mission seems to have succeeded, my efforts are

focused on backing our President’s quest to eliminate Saddam Hussein.

I have been urging the White House and others in the administration

to approach the termination of the Iraqi dictatorship with the same

strategy that worked so well in Afghanistan. We should be supportive

of those Iraqis who are willing to fight and die for their own

freedom. To that end, we need to provide them with air and logistical

support, and the assistance of special forces teams. Because Hussein

is less popular in Iraq than the Taliban was in Afghanistan, he

should be easier to dislodge from power. I have been one of the

President’s most vocal allies on this matter.

Sept. 11 was a wake-up call for many Americans, as well as many

elected officials. However, I was already awake and active before

Sept. 11. Now it is my job to make sure that my colleagues don’t go

back to sleep and, with their complacency, make America vulnerable

again.

* DANA ROHRABACHER is the United States Representative for the

45th District that includes Costa Mesa and West Newport.