In a world where American school teachers are being urged not to suggest any group is responsible for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 within days of its first anniversary, comes an inspirational message from an Internet angel.
Retired MGYSgt. Ed Evans, a war veteran, who served the U.S. Marine Corps for 27 years, has been trying to find the author of that message for almost a year.
The story begins shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 when someone emailed him a piece, entitled I Will Not Forget. Very moved by the eloquent words, the Viet Nam veteran immediately emailed it out to friends. As his name was attached to the emails, he was credited as the author of I Will Not Forget, and has since received scores of congratulatory messages from as far away as Israel and France.
"I cannot take credit for writing it, though I wish I had," Evans told Toronto Free Press in a telephone interview from his home in Tennessee.
I will not forget
…"I sat in a movie theatre watching Schindler’s List, asked myself, `Why didn’t the Jews fight back?’ mused the unknown writer of I will Not Forget.
"I sat in a movie theatre, watching Pearl Harbor and asked myself, `Why weren’t we prepared?’
"Now I know why.
"Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil people.
"On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists because they did not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their captors.
"On September 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered because too many Americans naively reject the reality that some nations are dedicated to the dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists and media personnel want us to forget the carnage.
"They say we must focus on the bravery of the rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the killers. They implore us to understand the motivation of the perpetrators. Major television stations have announced they will assist the healing process by not replaying devastating footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers.
"I will not be manipulated.
"I will not pretend to understand.
"I will not forget.
"I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to kick our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.
"I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush’s address to the nation with the snide remark, `No matter how you feel about him, he is still our president.’
"I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings questioned President Bush’s motives for not returning immediately to Washington, DC and commented, `We’re all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington.’
"And I will not forget that ABC’s Mark Halperin warned if reporters weren’t informed of every little detail of this war, they aren’t `likely’–nor should they be expected–to show deference.’
"I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States of America.
"I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the world’s most sophisticated telecommunications equipment and encryption technology, thereby compromising America’s ability to trace terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem communications.
"I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes like those perfected by the previous administration.
"I will not be comforted by `feel-good, do nothing’ regulations like the silly `Have your bags been under your control?’ question at the airport.
"I will not be influenced by so called `anti-war demonstrators’ who exploit the right of statement to chant anti-American obscenities.
"I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by American war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines.
"I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose reassurance over reality.
"I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told (a) Labor Party Conference, `They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?'
"There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be defeated by it. And defeat it we must.
"I will force myself to:
"I sat in a movie theatre, watching Private Ryan and asked myself, `Where did they find the courage?’
"Now I know.
"We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living."
The editors of Toronto Free Press believe the stirring words should be set to the musical background of God Bless America, and sent the world over.
Somehow the inspirational author of I Will Not Forget knew to expect empathy when he emailed Ed Evans, whose personal credo is: "Stop telling God how big your problems are. Instead tell your problems how big your God is."
Still active as Public Relations Officer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Evans had this to say about the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. "The number of American young people enlisting in our armed services has jumped dramatically. Patriotism is very much alive here because they are enlisting in droves."
About the establishment liberal media, which promotes the left-wing perspective of the terrorist attacks, Evans had this to say: "The media is in the cellar in terms of credibility with John Q. Public. At one time, the military used to be at the bottom of public credibility polls. An American poll taken a year and a half ago, placed the military on top. The media came in below the government."
And for the still missing author of I Will Not Forget?
A U.S. Marine will never stop searching for you.
"Please step forward. Your words have inspired so many. But I especially owe you a lot of applause and gratitude," says Evans.
You can reach Ed Evans at gyrene242@aol.com
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2024 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2024 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement