A virtual memorial



THIS week, death and heroism are on the minds of many Americans. I think it's safe to assume that for many years to come, these things will be remembered whenever Sept. 11 approaches.

It is sadly ironic that often, people become heroes in a moment that they will never be able to relive. They go home to no heroes' welcome; instead they go to a place from where no one comes back. We prefer that our heroes be alive to pin medals on, instead of in coffins over which we drape flags. We prefer that our heroes be alive to shake hands with instead of dead with their fingers stiff and cold. We prefer that our heroes be alive to wave to us atop their floats in parades instead of dead for us to wave to them in a funeral cortege. But when our heroes are dead and we have no choice but to honor them posthumously, I hope to God we do so with such fervor as if we are trying to make up for their shortened lives.

Today, there will be a proliferation of memorials for the heroes and victims of the Sept. 11 tragedy. Speeches will be delivered, statues will be unveiled, plaques will be engraved, and the mass media will recount the events of that day and replay the images in print and on television. Every bit of remembrance will help celebrate the lives of those who died. Every tear shed in grief and outrage will help comfort their families. Every word of condemnation of the acts of terrorism that led to these deaths and destruction will help keep the fire within us burning -- for peace and freedom.

One form of memorial we may not readily associate with the traditional kinds is that which can be found on the Internet. Doing a casual search using the keyword "September 11" I was astonished to get more than six million hits. From these search results, I culled a few websites that seemed notable. You may find it worth your time to click on some of these and spend a few moments in remembrance. You might forge a virtual solidarity with those seeking an alternative outlet for their grief and anger. You might find some of your questions answered, especially those pertaining to the minute details of the events. You might read the accounts of other ordinary people -- where they were when the events occurred, how they felt, what they have done.

Individuals, organizations, schools, government agencies, and others created these websites to document and preserve the memories of Sept. 11. As stated in one of them, "The web has no memory -- unless it is created." Here they are in random order, some with a brief description I have not thoroughly examined all of these sites so please do not take their being on this list as my endorsements. Consider this list as a starting point.

http://www.september11news.com/
http://september11.archive.org/
http://www.interactivepublishing.net/september/ - Archive of screenshots of online news sites on Sept. 11.
http://tvnews3.televisionarchive.org/tvarchive/html/ Archive of television news broadcasts from the period following the attacks.
http://911.gmu.edu/ - Sept. 11 digital archive, including a Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History "Bearing Witness to History" project
http://www.uwnyc.org/sep11/ - September 11th Fund for the victims
http://web.archive.org/collections/sep11.html - A library of web content from around the globe
http://www.familiesofseptember11.org/home.asp
http://people.bu.edu/xrpnt/ribbons/ribbon.html - A site offering free downloads of "e-ribbon" images for posting on websites
http://www.legacy.com/LegacyTribute/Tribute.asp - A site intended as "a place to remember and celebrate the lives of those lost on September 11, 2001" where visitors may sign a "National Book of Remembrance"
http://www.academicinfo.net/usa911.html - Resources
http://www.mediamap.com/Sept11.asp - Journalists' resources
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/chronology.attack/
http://www.september11victims.com/september11victims/ According to this site, 15 Filipino citizens were identified as victims as of August 2002
http://www.sep11photo.org/html/home.html - A project of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Project
http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/terror/terrormap.htm - An official government site which lists 86 countries whose nationals were among the victims of the tragedy

We relive every horrifying detail of September 11 in every way possible and recount every inspiring act of heroism for every person who can no longer relive his own moments of courage. Every bit of documentation that can be found online, on paper, and in broadcast media goes into our collective memories and into our own personal archives, right in our own hearts, where they can always be accessed whenever we need a reason to believe in the future.

Romina Saha is a book publishing professional based in San Jose, Calif. She is also a freelance writer and copyeditor. She may be reached at ConnectionsRS@aol.com.