South Tower survivor finds strength in life
Vadim Lovinsky of Vernon Hills had recently started at Morgan Stanley and was on the 61st floor of the World Trade Center’s south tower on Sept. 11, 2001. He survived because he listened to a fellow employee’s advice to evacuate rather than loudspeaker announcements that workers should return to their offices. The company laid him off in 2003 in the economic downtown that followed 9/11. After trying to make a go of running restaurants in Island Lake and Arlington Heights, he has returned to the financial industry.
I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since 9/11. President Franklin Roosevelt would have described 9/11 best, “A date, which will live in infamy. The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked.” I believe we as a people should stop for a moment and reflect upon this date, so that we may come together because “this great nation will endure” and the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Ten years later, our country still suffers the “butterfly effect” of 9/11. We are in the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression. This great nation endures, while our congressional leaders quarrel among themselves in Washington, D.C., playing political power games. Meanwhile, our families, our friends, our neighbors lose their jobs, businesses and homes. So I say again, stop and remember 9/11. Remember the 2,977 souls who lost their lives 10 years ago, so that we as a nation could learn to put differences aside. Thank your community heroes for serving during World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East. We have paid a great price, and it’s time to come together and rally around the flag. Remember you have a voice, you matter, and you can make a difference!
My parents brought me to this country from Russia on May 5, 1975, as a 4-year-old boy, so that I could enjoy the freedoms of the United States. I proudly served four years in the United States Navy aboard two aircraft carriers so as to give back. I understand the price of freedom. My family and I, too, have financially suffered, just like many of you have suffered during this gut-wrenching economical crisis. I find strength in remembering how lucky I am to be alive and try to make a difference every day with God’s help. I feel fortunate to live in the United States. Right after 9/11 our nation came together. We put differences aside. We proudly displayed our flag in front of our homes. Neighbors helped neighbors. I could not have been prouder to be an American.
Today, I simply do not feel that spirit in the air. We need it back. Today, remember 9/11, remember the lives that were lost. Help your friend, your co-worker, your neighbor or even a stranger. Call and write your political leaders and let them know you have a voice. Let them know we need leaders like President Franklin Roosevelt. Leaders who can get those in Washington to put their differences aside, roll up their sleeves and help create jobs, encourage entrepreneurs to start small businesses, and help save family homes from foreclosure. So remember today, remember right now, that Sept. 11, 2001, taught us as a nation “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”