American Life: Clamor and Silence

In the hours before dawn on May 2, when I heard the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed, I rushed to ground zero (the ruins of the World Trade Center, site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks). I first visited there in October 2001 when I was on a training tour of America along with other Asian journalists. In the wake of 9/11, we hurriedly changed our destination to New York.

One month after 9/11, the area around ground zero reeked powerfully of burning rubber; white smoke was wafting in the air. In the gathering dusk, people approached a fenced marked “Keep Out,” silently taking stock of the disaster. Bulldozers milled about, but silence reigned over the area.

I encountered similar scenes in August 2003 when a suicide bomber struck in downtown Najaf, Iraq, and in March 2004 when terrorists bombed a commuter train in Madrid. People gazed silently upon the scenes, their eyes filled, naturally, with sadness and anger.

The clamor surrounding ground zero before dawn on May 2 was a stark contrast. The crowd joined in a large chant of “U-S-A, U-S-A,” and hundreds of cameras followed a young man riding on someone’s shoulders while waving the Stars and Stripes. 21-year-old Isaac Branstyn breathlessly told me, “Bin Laden violated the U.S. We’ve finally managed to come together.”

Some people stood away from the crowds and looked upon ground zero. 29-year-old Rich Jenkins said, “I sort of feel like we got justice, but it doesn’t do anything for the victims’ families. Lots of people in lots of countries lost their lives after 9/11, not just in America.”

When I got word of bin Laden’s killing, I asked our New York bureau for comments from our previously-interviewed family members of the 9/11 victims. Two days later, on May 4, 57-year-old Donna Marsh O’Connor contacted me in response to my request.

At the World Trade Center building, Ms. O’Connor lost both her then-29-year-old daughter Vanessa as well as her unborn grandchild, with whom Vanessa was five months pregnant. When she heard that bin Laden had been killed, she “felt a mix of shock and sadness.” She immediately wrote on the social networking site Facebook, “Bin Laden is dead and so, still, is my beautiful daughter.”

“How is his death different from people who were killed in terrorist attacks? It’s just another chapter in a never-ending tragedy,” Ms. O’Connor wrote. She now lives a peaceful life with her 9-year-old grandchild, her two sons and her husband. “But the hole left by my daughter’s death will never be filled.” Her words spoke volumes about the vanity of revenge.

America is not just those who raucously celebrated after bin Laden was killed. America is also those who reflected in silence.