For several months now politicians, as well as ordinary citizens, have broached the idea of making Sept.

Saturday, March 30, 2002

For several months now politicians, as well as ordinary citizens, have broached the idea of making Sept. 11 a national day of remembrance. The thought is to provide all Americans with a day off to honor the memory of those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on our nation.

Certainly, no one can argue Sept. 11 will remain a memorable date in our nation’s history. A date none of us will soon forget, nor should we. We should all take a moment to reflect on the innocent, and the brave, who perished on the fateful day.

To make the day a national holiday, however, is perhaps a mild overreaction. We’ve faced many national tragedies over the course of our nation’s history and we have not set aside national holidays to remember those dates.

The first such national holiday to come to mind is Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. "A Day That Will Live in Infamy" claimed the lives of approximately 3,700 American military personnel and United States civilians. By comparison, the death toll of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. is estimated now to be less than 3,200. That’s not to take lightly the loss of life in either tragic event, but it does offer some perspective.

Then there is D-Day – June 6, 1944. More than 6,600 United States soldiers lost their lives on the Normandy Coast, during the World War II invasion. While not on home soil, the loss of American life was considerable. We continue to honor our fallen military heroes today and specifically remember events such as D-Day. We do not, however, recognize the specific day of the event with a national holiday.

Going back further in time, the greatest loss of American life on United States soil in a single day was on Sept. 17, 1862, when 2,000 soldiers of the Union Army lost their lives and 2,700 soldiers of the Confederate Army lost their lives at the Civil War battle of Antietam. Another 3,000 soldiers, from both sides, died later from wounds inflicted during the battle. Again, as a nation, we do not set aside a day of remembrance for this tragic day in our nation’s history.

Of course, in recent history, we’ve experienced the terrorist tragedy in Oklahoma City. One hundred sixty-eight men, women and children were killed when a federal building was bombed. A memorial now reminds all of the innocent victims who lost their lives. As a nation, the day again is not set aside.

We will never forget the events of Sept. 11. However, during the course of time, we will gain perspective. Americans before us have grappled with the tragic loss of life during the Civil War, World War II and at other times throughout our nation’s history. It’s reasonable to believe there were calls, in the immediate days after, for days of remembrance, and national holidays.

Correctly, Americans decided not to honor one group tragically killed over another.

Out of respect for those that lost their lives on Sept. 11, and those that lost their lives in other tragic events in our history, the right thing to do is to remember, but not set aside the day as a national holiday.

Unfortunately history suggests we, as a nation, will one day soon face another tragedy of perhaps an even greater magnitude than those we have seen in the past. Lest we forget

Neal Ronquist’s column appears on Sunday.