Moved by paper’s 9/11 coverage

I was dreading the rehash of the 9/11 tragedy that propelled our country into a decade of disastrous wars, but the Daily Herald anniversary edition corrected my mood.

Your journalists put a human face on all of it and highlighted the talents and contributions of many individuals we lost.

Burt Constable recalled Studs Terkel’s comment on that fateful day 10 years ago, “We must face this not as a superpower but as a nation of people.” Terkel went on to comment that wars merely treat the symptoms, but peace could be found only with “the power of common sense and the power of humanity.”

The Herald quotes Marion Kminek, mother of Mari-Rae Soper, a retiring Navy attorney who was aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. Kminek has joined Sept. 11 Families For Peaceful Tomorrows, a group founded in 2002 which points to the “common cause shared by almost everyone on the planet: the desire for peace, freedom and self-determination for themselves and for future generations.” They suggest that we use all of our nation’s power, political, legal, economic and spiritual, not only military, to support nonviolent options as we seek to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone.

Pat Shanower, mother of Cmdr. Dan Shanower, who died in the Pentagon, seems glad we are aware of the danger ideological enemies pose, but she would like to see “greater understanding and respect for each others’ culture and religion” and opportunities for young people to work together with others in the world around us. She sees working together for peaceful relationships within our country and abroad as a good way to demonstrate patriotism.

I just wanted to summarize some of the jewels I found in the Herald while I was home with a cold with time to devote to the Herald. Thanks for all you do.

Ellen McDonald

South Elgin