Readers Respond

On Monday I flew the flag in front of my house on a 30-foot flag pole, and beneath it I raised another flag, that of the Pearl Harbor Survivors’ Assn.

After Sept. 11, 2001, so many, many people in the fervor of patriotism did much the same. And it lasted about four to six months and then dwindled to a very few.

Having been at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, I knew full well what was facing those in New York and what the aftermath would entail. Since then I have displayed the flag every day from 8 a.m. to sundown, except in inclement weather.

As a matter of an extremely unusual coincidence, my daughter, Deborah, was on a trade mission in New York on that very day and was five blocks from the World Trade Center when the second plane struck. She remained for three days helping with the Salvation Army at Ground Zero assisting in whatever way possible to help the firefighters, police and rescue workers.

On several occasions she and I have spoken to school children about the two historical events, and it helps them to bring into perspective the relationship of Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11.

I plan to continue to fly the Pearl Harbor flag as well as “Old Glory” every day from Sept. 11 until Dec 7. I hope many more who remember will do so also.

JACK R. HAMMETT

Costa Mesa

Sept. 11, 2001, I was awakened by an early-morning call from my brother asking me where my husband, Eliot, was. I said he was in New York on business, “Why do you ask?” He said to turn on the television. I could not believe what I was seeing and quickly tried to reach my husband by phone. He called about 15 minutes later and said no one knew exactly what was going on there. By then my children were awake and wanted to know what was going on and if their dad was OK.

My phone must have rang more than 20 times that day, from people wanting to know if he was safe. For some strange reason, which I will be eternally grateful for, my husband’s meeting, which was to be in New York City, was canceled that day. He was staying with my cousins about a half an hour away from the city. We watched the television for days, glued to it, and in complete shock as to what we were seeing. I don’t remember crying so much as I did that week. I was just so devastated by what had happened, and the loss of so many innocent lives. It just was not right.

On Thursday we were so happy that he was finally coming home, and that he was safe. When he arrived at the airport that day, he was told to evacuate the terminal. Apparently they had a bomb scare called in, and no one was flying anywhere. By Friday my husband and cousins could not stand watching the television anymore and decided to get out of town. Driving past the city they could see and smell the smoke, and said it was the most devastating thing they had ever seen.

On Sunday the airlines called my husband and said a flight was scheduled the next morning. My family and I were so glad to see him when he finally got home that day.

Sept. 11 will be a day I will not forget, and I will be thinking about the families who were not as fortunate as we were.

LAURIE MELCER

Costa Mesa