VIEWPOINT: A Day Of Contradictions

Where were you on September 11, 2001? I was in the offices  of A-Active Termite & Pest Control in Virginia Beach, Va., conducting an interview with Kevin Kordek and Jeff Johnson, two highly regarded PCOs who personify the entrepreneurial spirit of America. Minutes after completing the interview, A-Active’s Senior Service Technician Jason Adams came into Kevin’s office ashen-faced. "Did you hear the news?" he asked. "There’s been a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York."

We immediately asked for more details, but Adams said the situation was so fluid that it was difficult to get an accurate picture of exactly what was going on in the country. Eager to learn more, I said my goodbyes and headed over to the home of PCT Sales Representative Michael Kelly, who had accompanied me on the interview and lives just a few minutes from A-Active’s headquarters in Virginia Beach. We arrived at Michael’s home just in time to see the second of the twin towers collapse, watching in horror as Peter Jennings — like millions worldwide — sat transfixed by the events that were unfolding before his eyes.

As I watched the live news feed from New York City with a combination of disdain and disbelief, Michael’s 14-month-old daughter, Cecilia, played nearby, oblivious to how much her — and our — world had suddenly changed. After observing the news for a few more minutes I jumped in my rental car and headed home to Cleveland, bypassing Washington, D.C., and driving through the Shenandoah Valley, a setting so infused with natural beauty, an environment so peaceful in its pastoral simplicity, that it could almost make one forget the mindless violence that had occurred just a few hours before.

Thirteen months later, that’s what I remember most about 9-11. For me, it was a day of contradictions. While I mourned the loss of more than 2,500 lives, I celebrated the gift of a 1-year-old child who represents the promise of a new generation, a generation I pray will have more success addressing the root causes of international terrorism than my own generation. While I mourned the loss of America’s innocence, I celebrated the re-emergence of America’s resolve, a resolve personified by the everyday heroes that stepped forward on September 11, and the hundreds of pest management professionals who refused to give into their fears and traveled to New Orleans to attend the 68th Annual NPMA Convention just weeks after the terrorist attacks.

While September 11 was a day that illustrated the worst of human nature, it was also a day that reflected the best of human nature. Our challenge as Americans is to continue to nurture the finer qualities of the human spirit as embodied by those pest management professionals who lead lives characterized by personal and professional excellence, combined with compassion for one’s fellow man, people just like Kevin Kordek and Jeff Johnson.

The author is publisher of PCT magazine.