We will never forget September 11, 2001. Our country, our lives and our future will never be the same. The unthinkable became a reality, as we witnessed an attack on American shores that was horrific and terror-filled. Symbols of America’s greatest came tumbling down in flames and ashes, destroyed by our own planes and our own technology. The attack was cunning, unimaginable and pure evil. I was not very far moved from the attack that occurred in Washington.
I was in Washington on business the day of the attack. Readying myself that Tuesday morning for a series of meetings on Capitol Hill, I heard a horrible scream in the hotel hallway outside my door and then a lot of commotion on the street below my hotel window. Not long after that, I received a call from Senator Cochran’s office informing me to not come to the Hill that day for meetings (Senator Cochran’s office and the Hill would soon be evacuated) as the Pentagon had just been attacked. Not knowing what to think, I turned on the television and there I saw the images that will forever be burned in our collective consciousness. The phone in my hotel room was also ringing off the hook from several Mississippians who knew I was in Washington. My family and my office also called every few minutes. For several hours, being in Washington was very uncomfortable. The day before was the beginning of a wonderful trip as I had lunch at The White House with the Deputy Assistant to the President and Mississippi native, Chris Henick. And then, 24 hours later, I felt that all of us in Washington were under siege.
The moments of that day for me were surreal: masses of people– thousands – in the streets of D.C., not really going anywhere, not really knowing what to do, stunned by what had happened. The military had quickly blocked off sections of Washington including several streets next to my hotel. You could leave Washington, but you could not get in. Here I was watching all of this unfold on TV and out of my window on the 11th floor of the Hilton Hotel on 14th street, stranded, not very far from the Pentagon. I, too, was stunned, and really did not allow myself to fully take in what had just taken place to our country. At that moment, Mississippi seemed a million miles away. By the end of that day though, thanks to a call from Planters Bank & Trust Company CEO, Jimmy Clayon who was also up there on business, at 6:00 pm, I boarded a bus that several members of the Mississippi Banker’s Association had charted and headed home. We arrived back in the Delta around 10:00 am the next morning. As I write this, the airport in which I use to fly in and out of Washington – Washington/Reagan remains closed.
Now, I am home again, and I have thought about what has happened. Here in my office, as in yours, we have tried to resume business as usual. It is difficult, however, to do so. The repercussions and fallout of the events of September 11 have not yet been fully felt. Spiritually and emotionally, we are all saddened, angered, frustrated and afraid at the same time. It’s only normal to feel this way. It has been very nice to see God’s name and the word “prayers” used by the national media on a regular basis during the various special news programs pertaining to the event. Maybe it takes something like this to bring certain segments of our society back to God.
We must carry on. One thing is clear about the purpose of these heinous terrorist attacks: Not only did these monsters want to destroy symbols of American life, they also wanted to destroy our way of life. To give in now to our feelings of sorrow and helplessness is to, in effect, give-in to the terrorists’ desires. This we can not do.
We live in the greatest country in the history of the world. We are the nation that gave meaning to concepts and ways of life that are now taken for granted all over the globe. Freedom, rights, capitalism—-these ideas and countless more got their origins and saw their finest manifestations in America. The rest of the world has always looked to us to lead the way and set the tone. The civilized nations see progress, hope, tolerance and the joy of life and work that is the American spirit; the barbaric nations see the same things and are threatened, envious, and seek to snuff out this spirit.
Our country is too great, too precious to allow such evil doers to carry out their hatred of the West and what we stand for. They must be caught and brought to justice – whatever that may justice may be at the time. President Bush’s resolve now is inspiring, and it is just a matter of time before America, once again, will triumph over wickedness to keep this world safe and prosperous.
I have never been more proud to be a American and to be a Mississippian. Yes, we have been hurt. Yes, we are still in a state of shock. But through the determination, will and moral rectitude of our government and our citizens, the United States will persevere. DBJ

Scott Coopwood
Publisher