Daily Skiff

In a moving gesture to commemorate those who lost their lives in the attacks of Sept. 11, the finishing touches are now being applied to a new battleship named the USS New York. The ship was made from more than 24 tons of steel that was salvaged from the remains of the Twin Towers.

The completion of this ship should serve as a source of pride for all Americans.

The plan began with George Pataki, the former governor of New York. Pataki wrote to the secretary of the Navy shortly after the attacks and requested that a naval ship built to fight in the war on terror be named the USS New York.

The ship, which is scheduled to be commissioned this fall, will carry a fully-equipped battalion and more than 700 Marines, according to the USS New York Web site.

Sept. 11 is a day that affected us all. It was the darkest day of our generation. But it reminded us not to take our lives and our freedom for granted. It reminded us to love our neighbors and it gave us an opportunity to show our strength, compassion and resolve.

The USS New York rose up from the rubble to become a symbol of beauty and strength just as the American people did. And it could not have a more fitting mission. The ship's motto, emblazoned on the side is "Strength Forged Through Sacrifice: Never Forget."

Glenn Clement, a paint foreman who worked on the USS New York said in an Associated Press story, "It would be fitting if the first mission this ship would go on is to make sure bin Laden is taken out. He came in through the back door and knocked our towers down and the New York is coming right through the front door, and we want them to know that."

Margaret Foland is a junior theatre arts major from Arlington.

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