Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001
>Wondering where you are and what news you are getting- please stay safe- and David says Do Not Go to Turkey! He is in a hotel in Singapore- went to Indonesia last Fri- was to fly from Singapore at 5pm here- on United- but I am so relieved he was not on a plane. So we have no idea when he will get back- but Marsha and the baby are ok- I think- have talked to her parents- they live 1 mile from the Pentagon- and of course she was across the river when all Hell broke loose- hope we will hear from you soon- but know you won’t be able to call. Dad is in Penna. Going ok with Grandma I guess. Am praying that you are ok- send a line when you can- and be careful where you go please. Love you both- Mom
Subject: Re: the world events
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001
We are fine- we’ve been trying to call, but it’s after hours and the phone system hasn’t been very friendly- are you ok? We’ve been getting radio news, my buddy Kent is still on base tonight. We’ll be here for a while before we decided to go anywhere. Where is Steve? Again, we’ll be ok- please keep us posted on marsha and david- we’ll keep trying to call
Love, dan
Subject: thank heavens
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001
>Am so glad to hear from you- Steve is here- pacing the floor- but not going anywhere- he did have a ticket to go to Atlanta on Thurs. to see Mark, Chris and Eddie- all are at Benning- but that is probably off. Talked to Marsha and she had talked to David again- she is at Oshimas with Olivia but may go back to work tomorrow- she is ok- and fairly calm about it. David is still in Singapore at a hotel there- until he can find out how to get home- he is by himself but does have a Cornell friend there. Dad and Jim and Barbara are cleaning out the apt. and Dad sounds exhausted- not sure if he will go to Selinsgrove or not- so we are ok- Sarah is at John’s most of the time- I am glad you have a place to stay for now. It’s ok if you don’t call- just keep sending messages when you can. Love Mom
Subject: Re: thank heavens
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001
Sounds like everything has just stopped over there. It’s hard to imagine no airplanes flying over the whole country. We are holed up here, the weather’s been bad anyway and we’ve got plenty of books, not that we feel like doing anything.
Maybe you can try to call me- I have Kent’s cell phone here-
Try 00 49 (0)1719477662 (the 00 for int’l, the 49 for germany, I don’t think you need the (0) so just start with 17…)
Or 00 49 (0)1603652586
We are 7 hours ahead.
Dan
Subject: destinations…
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001
We are taking a train to Berlin this afternoon. It’s been terrific staying at Kent’s place, but we need to move on now. We’ll be back to our usual pattern of hostel hopping, with phone calls and emails as often as possible. I know you are all concerned about our safety, and we are concerned about yours as well; we will choose our surroundings prudently and continue our journey. I hope you can get home soon, Dave. Please pass on my love to Grandma and other family and friends-
Dan
Subject: whereabouts
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001
>Thank you for letting us know where you are- I suppose you are getting different versions of what is going on here- but let me tell you how it is- we find ourselves in front of the TV a lot- even though a lot of the details are repeated endlessly and the views of the planes hitting the towers and the Pentagon keep being shown. I don’t know how the families of the lost ones can stand it. The prayer service at the National Cathedral was moving—today would have been Grandma Morse’s 98th birthday- and what a day it has been. At any rate, all of us mothers are uneasy when our family members are out of the fold- and the uneasiness of the current events is something I have never felt. The talk of calling up reserves and mobilizing forces is frightening, but we must do it. Of course, we remember Vietnam, and a little about Korea, and all that- but this blow-by-blow picture stuff is something else. I am so thankful that all of you are ok- and out of the active Army- but I will be glad when I can see you all again. Talked to David tonight- he is resigned to being in Singapore even longer- may get started home on Tuesday if all goes well- and he has some work to do while there- but is so anxious to be home- and of course Washington is less than peaceful now- still catch myself wondering how much you know- although I did see that there was a prayer service today in Berlin- and lots of other countries- helps to have support. Have you seen pictures of the destroyed World Trade Center?? Unbelievable. You remember that I took the Stephen Ministry Training? Well, last night I got my first assignment- to help a young woman in our church whose uncle was in the plane that hit the Pentagon- he was a retired Navy pilot. I have talked to her by phone and the family is gathering in Maryland for the memorial service over the weekend, so I will not start seeing her right away, I hope I can help her with her grief when she returns. Dad came home last night- he had a draining week but got a lot taken care of and so far Grandma is doing well. Am glad that they were able to get the apartment emptied out but it was a lot to do in three days. He spent a lot of time with her- he finds it hard to see her in the home- but we know she is safe there and gets good care- is less able to care for herself- mostly due to the confusion and forgetfulness, but better with the depression. Well this is a somber note- and hope you will be able to have fun and enjoy your travels. However, if you decide to come back sooner- that will be ok with everyone here. Steve is ok- but worried about job prospects. I think the world will be upside down for a while- at least that is the message we are getting from the media. Don’t even have time to talk about hurricanes- or Gary Condit!! That part is a relief- pretty insignificant at the moment. Keep in touch as best you can- we love you- Mom
Subject: Re: whereabouts
Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001
can only send a quick reply now, we will head to munich tomorrow. there was a big gathering here last night and the embassy is completely surrounded by army and police. thanks for the update.
dan
Subject: family
Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001
>Hi- hope you two are ok. I think that David is on a plane now- was to leave Singapore this pm- for Tokyo- then LA and to Dulles by tomorrow night. Needless to say- I will be thankful when I hear that he is back. Marsha is doing well- she has been busy with many of the folks that her organization deals with and has been trying to get some of them back to their own countries because of all the uncertainty. Had a call from Sarah tonight- she just learned that a friend of hers was on Flight 11- the first one that hit the WTC. This was a friend from the old ‘shore’ days- those girls have stayed in touch for all these years and they are all scattered from one end of the world to the other. Anyway- this girl worked for Qantas in sales mgmt. Had been a flight attendant at one time- she was in the first class section- between two of the hijackers! Sarah has talked to her husband- there is to be a memorial service near Scranton this weekend- Sarah is going to try to get there. The TV news surely is disturbing- hope you are not getting all of it- but be careful- Love Mom
Subject: Re: family
Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2001
hi mom- we’re in munich, sorry to hear about sarah’s friend. my god. we are okay, there is quite a bit of international support here. we feel safe. maybe going out to see some castles tomorrow.
dan
Subject: Prague
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001
Hi folks, we are fine here in Prague. We have been here a week, and we leave tomorrow for Vienna. We have enjoyed the beauty of the city, and the very cheap prices. We rented an apartment for the week. Good to hear everyone okay, thanks for the update mom, we will call shortly
dan
Subject: Prague
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001
We are in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and the ancient seat of Bohemia. Prague's cherished writer is Franz Kafka, the poet of alienation. Bohemia chooses its heroes carefully. Kafka seems a proper choice. Twice during this century alone, the Czech people have thrown off the yoke of a foreign power and proclaimed their independence as a nation and exalted in their destiny as a sovereign state, only to have their hopes dashed by the arrival of more powerful neighbor. Pessimism comes naturally to Czechs, it seems. The more one learns about the history of other nations, the clearer focus one is able to draw on one's own.
America is a nation of optimists. Many Europeans complain that Americans are self centered, or not aware of world events, or lacking in an appreciation of any culture than our own. True to a point- I think we're aware enough of that. But maybe Europeans forget that most Americans came to America because they couldn't stand where they were living before, and in many cases wanted to forget all about their problems there. Those of us who may be a generation or two removed from an immigration need to remember that the American Dream isn't rhetoric- it's reality. People leave their homes where they don't see a better tomorrow, and move to America where they do. We don't get a lot of news over here- but we get enough. My prayers go out to all of you, my friends and family, who have been affected by our national tragedy. Some no doubt felt it more harshly than others, but we are all sharing this pain in some way. Everywhere we have traveled over the past two weeks- everywhere- we have seen an outpouring of sentiment for the United States. We have many friends. An entire city block in Berlin- covered with flowers, candles and condolences. Statues covered with banners and flowers in Munich. St. Wenceslas square in Prague, adorned with flowers and bright with candles. There is a definite sense that these people share our pain as well- and will share in the ongoing struggle that our societies will face.
But this is not a 'new war' as some journalists have put it. It is the same war that we've been fighting since 1776. That our nation, conceived in liberty, shall not perish from the earth. This is the struggle we are facing. The manner in which we fight it, however, will be different. But again it is wrong to picture a war such as the Gulf War as the paradigm. This will be more like the Cold War- a conflict of ideology, and a contest between competing visions of the future. We will not see success in merely crushing and annihilating our enemies. We win as we provide opportunities to change minds and create a new belief in the future.
After the Third Reich and Imperial Japan were destroyed in 1945, America stood at a unique position in history. It was a conquering nation which had gone relatively untouched through the most destructive war the planet had ever seen. Other nations lost percentages of their population and saw many major cities leveled to the ground. And we possessed atomic weapons. In the past, conquerors like Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Ghengis Khan would not have made the decisions our nation's leaders did. With Europe, and much of the rest of the world, on its knees- we offered them a hand up. The cities that I have been enjoying this autumn are standing today because of the foresight in our leaders in putting forth the Marshall Plan and utilizing the amazing wealth and opportunity that have been created by millions of individuals realizing their American Dreams to rebuild a world destroyed. Whatever our failings as a nation are, this will stand as an incredible legacy to leave for history. In 1989 we witnessed amazing events in Europe. The Berlin Wall fell and communism showed its failure throughout the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The Czech nation has once again shrugged off the borrowed robes of an illegitimate king. Maybe the third time's a charm. I have confidence in the Czech people. But then again, I'm American... optimism in the face of adversity is natural for me...
Dan
