Hey, Terrorists: 'You Missed the Target'

"It just makes me mad. How dare they?"

That's how Runnemede resident Helen Strupczewski reacts when asked about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Strupczewski's youngest son, Robert, joined the Navy just a few months before the attacks, in June 2001. As was the case with military families around the world, 9/11 brought more questions of concern into the Strupczewski household than the average home.

It took Strupczewski a few weeks to gather her thoughts on what had happened that fateful morning. From the "what were the air traffic controllers doing?" and the "oh, my God, we're under attack" immediately after four planes were taken down at the hands of Muslim terrorists to the "how will America respond?" and "where will they send my boy now?" questions that followed.

The result was an essay—an essay about the indefatigable American spirit, about Americana, about heroes.

Now, nearly 10 years to the day since 9/11, Strupczewski has shared the essay, "You Missed the Target," with GT Patch to share with all of you.

Here it is:

On September 11, 2001, you angered the entire planet with your cowardly display of utter aggression. You and your cronies sky-jack'd some of our people while they were living their lives, then used them as part of your master plan to bring America to her knees.

Well—you missed the target!!! While it is true that, during the course of your terrorism against us, you did manage to destroy one of our landmarks and some of our possessions. You even succeeded in inflicting unbearable pain on your American victims and their surviving families. Yet—you still missed the target. Because, living like the rats that you are in your caves, you didn’t get to see us standing next to our victimized brothers and sisters. You didn’t get to see us sharing their pain and offering our unconditional support and love. You missed the unabashed display of unmitigated courage and heroism.

Do you want to know why you keep missing the target? I’ll tell you—it’s because you simply cannot destroy something you don’t understand. You will NEVER in a kajillion years even come close to scratching the surface of what it means to be an American. After all, we have so much more than you will ever see in your pathetic lifetime. We have George Washington, George Washington Carver, and the Washington Redskins, not to mention the Miami Dolphins along with the Miami Rhapsody. Who could ever forget Will Rodgers, Roy Rodgers, Buck Rodgers and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood? Well, you could because you don’t even know them!

Remember Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin. Then there’s Robin Hood—we borrowed him and took him into our American heart. Which reminds me—do you know about “Hart to Hart”, have a heart, or “You Gotta Have Heart?" What about Dinah Shore or the Jersey shore? Or have you heard the one about “What Did Delaware, Boys? I don’t know, Alaska?” Just a little ditty from Perry Como. (You know him, right? Sing to me, Mr. C.) I’ve got one for you—how about the Rat Pack or even the Brat Pack?

We have royalty, too. There’s our Duke—the immortal John Wayne— and the King of Las Vegas, Mr. Wayne Newton. We have the King of Rock-n-Roll (Elvis will always be with us), and Martin Luther King, with his hopes and dreams for all of America. Don’t forget our Queen Latifah, and the Queen of Soul, Miss Aretha Franklin. Our Little Princess, Miss Shirley Temple, who can still light up our lives with her dimples and golden curls! We have military genius in the Generals, Lee, Grant, Patton, and Powell—and that’s just the short list, so don’t think that your attack on our Pentagon has gone unnoticed, buddy! We even have Chiefs—like Joseph and Black Kettle—not to mention our Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush, who comes from a long line of Presidents—like his dad, as well as Abe Lincoln, JFK, and the first President George (Washington, that is).

No—you missed the target all right. You attacked us for your own personal reasons. But you still missed because America is much more than the World Trade Center. America is a gift to humanity that will always be out of your reach. We are tropical beaches and pristine wilderness. We are deserts and mountains and lakes. We are a multi-hued painting of cultures, traditions, religions, and peoples. We are African American, Irish American, Italian American, German American, Latin American, Native American, and Asian American—see the pattern here? The keyword is “American.” Sure, we squabble among ourselves, but that’s because we can—we’re American! We have Rocky (all of them), and Rocky and Bullwinkle. We’ve got Captain America and have trekked through the galaxy with the Captains Kirk and Picard. We’ve discovered who Luke’s father really is—and you don’t have a clue as to what I am telling you, do you?

So we don’t need the likes of you and your band of thugs. You make us GAG!! Just like Khan, who continually missed the previously mentioned Captain Kirk, you keep missing the target! But then again, you will never be able to zero in on something that you simply refuse to comprehend.

My advise to America is, “Let’s roll!!”