As NATO and official governments offer condolences and support from around the world in the aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attack, international Naval Institute members, authors, and friends e-mailed us instantly to extend their condolences to our nation. Their words mean so much to all Americans.
From Spain, an eloquent Alfredo Quintero Saavedra expressed his confidence that "at worst, it would be a battle lost in a war that eventually will be won." Dr. Eduardo Gerding of Buenos Aires formally declared that, as a Naval Institute life member, "I hereby offer my help in whatever way you may need." Barry Silk assured us that the thoughts of Australians are with us.
Wonderful for former Cold War warriors were the messages from our old adversaries. Sergei Konstantin hoped we were safe, "though the unspeakable emotional shock shook everyone." Alexander Korzhenevski, another Muscovite, wrote that we "pray and grieve with all American citizens." In extending sympathy from Hamburg, Sabine Nagel aptly described the attack as "an event of such horrifying, unimaginable proportions that . . . shock grows with time rather than diminishes."
Former kamikaze pilot Kaoru Hasegawa wrote that the news of attacks is "received as incredible tragedies with shocks to all of us in Japan." Retired Admiral Yoichi Hirama, coauthor of soon-to-be-published Reluctant Allies, hopes that "the criminal will be arrested and . . . great Americans never [lose] that courage to fight such an unhuman terrorism."
According to Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, an attack on one member of NATO must be treated as an attack on all. Our sense of connectedness extends far beyond faceless governmental arrangements. We feel a tremendous bond with our far-flung members, citizens, and soldiers of other nations who stand with us in the face of this detestable act. As a nation, and a world community, we must come together to care for the wounded, honor the dead, and form an unalterable resolve that this shall never happen again.
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By Tom Marfiak