Adversity made nation stronger

"I find myself more patriotic since 9-11," said Kasandra Priester of Palmdale. "Red, white and blue means more to me.

"Even my 7-year-old daughter likes everything red, white and blue. Before 9-11, her favorite color was pink."

Seated at a table in the dining room at the Antelope Valley Senior Center in Lancaster, 75-yearold Beverly Hardiman, wearing an American flag-decorated hat, sang along as the piano player performed a medley of patriotic tunes.

"I wouldn't say I'm more patriotic, but I'm more visibly patriotic," Hardiman said. "I feel the biggest change I've seen since 9-11 is that the warmth people have for each other came out into the open.

"It brought everyone closer. People seem to be friendlier, more approachable and more open when the speak."

Hardiman said she has always tried to keep up with world news and happenings and has always admired the sacrifices made by people in uniform, be it military, fire department or law enforcement.

"9-11 focused more attention on the jobs firemen and policemen do, and it's nice to see more people aware of just how hard their job is," Hardiman said. "I don't appreciate them any more because of 9-11, but since then I make sure I let them know how much I appreciate the job they do."

Tom Craft, a retired Navy captain who heads the citizens committee to bring a veterans home to the Antelope Valley, said he is as patriotic now as he was before 9-11.

"I fly the American flag in front of my house every day, but I don't consider myself as overly patriotic," Craft said. "I just love my country and respect the flag. At a parade, I stand up for every American flag that goes by, not just the first one as is proper. I feel the last one in a parade just as important at the first one.

"Seeing all the people fly the flag makes me feel good. Sometimes it takes a shock or a blow for people to think about what's important. Flying the flag is not just patriotism, it is showing love of family and life itself."
Trust important

Megan Rapp of Lancaster said the attacks forced her to look at herself and she came away no longer wanting to take things for granted and to appreciate the "small things in life."

"But I also became somewhat suspicious of people who were from the Middle East, but I had to remind myself that there are good people and bad people of all colors and cultures and that people should be judged only as individuals," Rapp said.

Priester said a man of Middle Eastern descent sat next to her on a flight to Washington state to pick up her daughter.

"He kept working with his Palm Pilot and I watched him the whole way," Priester said. "I was scared. I didn't even eat and I shook inside the whole way there.

"I have nothing against people of other cultures, but for a while many people were suspicious of anything different. I was fearful when I went to big places like Magic Mountain, Universal Studios or concerts. I was concerned just watching big events on TV, imagining what would happen if terrorists hit. Thankfully, I think I'm back to the way I was before 9-11."

Thyra Van Zitteren, who with husband, Cal, and daughter, Chrissy, made about 500 American flag pins to distribute in the weeks following 9-11, said apprehension and fear were discussion topics for her family.

"Fear was harder for children; they felt vulnerable," Van Zitteren said. "Chrissy was like Velcro for some time. She was always very trusting and she lost some of that for a while.

"We had to let her know that what she was feeling was natural. That it was all right to feel that way. It has taken a while, but that trust is coming back."

Van Zitteren noted that her daughter also likes her clothes in red, white and blue.

"I don't think that we, as adults, will ever really know how the children are affected," Van Zitteren said. "It's important for adults to reassure the children. If the adults don't have it together, who can the children turn to?"
World watch

Although her fears have dissipated, Van Zitteren said she is more vigilant since Sept. 11.

"I watch who is around when I'm in a public place. I'm a little more apprehensive when I'm at a bank or the mall," Van Zitteren said. "Let's just say that if something or someone doesn't seem right, I know where the exits are."

Craft said when he flew from Los Angeles International Airport into Boston's Logan Airport in the months following the attacks, he was inconvenienced by the security measures set in motion after the attacks, but he welcomed them.

"Because of increased security at places of mass transit and our homeland security program, our country is more vigilant, more prepared than it was before 9-11," Craft said. "In a way, the terrorists' plans backfired.

"Our country is much stronger after 9-11 - the security, support for our armed forces and others in uniform, people caring, better funding for necessary programs."

Craft doesn't believe America should close its borders completely, however.

"I've always been interested in what is going on in other parts of the world and in the Navy. I lived in many of them," Craft said. "There is no question that after 9-11 more people become aware of things going on around the world and of the fragility of life.

"We are vulnerable in America. The Statue of Liberty stands there with her arms open to everybody. We expose ourselves to additional dangers, but I wouldn't change any of that. That beacon of freedom is very important."

Craft said it's also important that life returns to as close to normal as it was before 9-11, "or else the terrorists would have won."

Eighty-two-year-old Clyde Dower, seated at the same table as Hardiman, agrees.

"I was shocked by the attack, but not as shocked as I was when Pearl Harbor was attacked. The terrorists targeted us because they don't like our way of life. Neither did the Japanese," Dower said. "Life for me has been pretty normal and I guess it's back to normal for most people."

Hardiman nodded in approval.

"That's good," she said. "The terrorists tried to change our country, but for the most part, life has returned to normal. About the only thing that is different is that we're more aware.

"Our communities are closer. Our country is closer and we're determined to do what we have to do to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"As I think about it more," Hardiman mused, "I guess the attack did change our country - it made us stronger."

Uploaded September 8, 2002