(Editor’s Note:  This article was originally written in 2005.  There was an initiative to create a cultural center at ground zero that would praise freedom fighters around the world instead of our own heroes.  The move met much opposition and was eventually defeated.  It is reprinted here without edit.)

I bet each person living in New York City on September 11, 2001 can recall where they were and what they were doing when the terrorist attacks occurred. These assaults ruthlessly murdered close to 3,000 people within hours. If you weren’t directly affected, you knew someone who was. Our sense of security was severely damaged, so we stayed home glued to the television set. Many were in a state of shock, others outraged. We saw the posters, pictures and flyers of the “missing”. We suffered for weeks following, hoping for one survivor, out of the rubble that once was the World Trade Center. Yet, in our time of mourning, we found solace among friends and family. New Yorkers changedsomehow for the better.

Stories of bravery stemming from 9/11 are vast and impressive. Countless lives were saved either by the selfless act of another, or by accidental circumstance (some say by an act of God). 9/11 invoked a tidal wave of support from individuals from around the world especially fellow Americans. Federal, state and local officials showed leadership and resolve. American flags were sold-out and every car on the street adorned one. We joined together to support our country and ask for justice in a world corrupt with dangerous groups and vicious dictators.

It is only proper that a special place be preserved at Ground Zero that honors those whose lives were lost. One that commemorates the courageous efforts of NYC’s Bravest, NYC’s Finest, NYC Transit, EMTs and others. There should be no wavering from the fundamental purpose of the Ground Zero memorial. To remember the victims and their heroes at the very site where lives prematurely ended and miracles happened.

The International Freedom Center and Drawing Center, as proposed, will include historical accounts of national and international freedom fighters. Ironically, some view Al Qaeda as freedom fighters themselves. Others suggest the centers will entail accounts of victory over oppression. My guess is the centers will dictate subjective history and artistic expression – having nothing to do with 9/11. The answer is really quite simple (and I think most will agree). Ground Zero should honor the lives of every-day New Yorkers whose only mistake was to go to work that day, and pay tribute to those who desperately tried to save them. Relying on IFC to provide such a memorial, will prove dubious at best.

New Yorkers by objection can prevent IFC from usurping the identity of 9/11 by lobbying government officials to see behind misplaced claims of free speech and diversity, and support a memorial that truly reflects 9/11. Powerful groups who support IFC don’t mind changing the make-up of our memories so long as it suits their own interests. We can prevent it from happening. Please join me and others in demanding that Ground Zero commemorate the heroic efforts of our countrymen and not bury them under a cultural center better served somewhere else.

New Yorkers will forever be remembered for our tenacity, compassion and patriotism in the aftermath of 9/11, if only we let it. This 9/11 admire our heroes by emulating one, wave your flag, and be proud to be American – I sure am.