Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. We recall because the past is always with us – or as novelist William Falkner said 75 years ago – “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
The impact of 9/11 marked all Americans and the credit union community.
Tomorrow veteran CreditUnions.com writer Cal Harrison will share cyrrent conversations and archive excerpts from Callahan’s website about our industry’s response to the 9/11 attacks.
The aftereffects of 9/11 cast a shadow still today: war and instability in the Middle East; the Afghanistan 20-year military engagement; an economy weakening and consumer confidence falling; new travel security and airline’s and other industry’s confront continuing risk from geopolitical events.
Ed Callahan’s Member Assurance
The threats facing us then continue now. We can learn from past responses. In a January 2002 post on creditunions.com, Ed Callahan, former NCUA Chair and CEO of Patelco wrote of his credit union’s actions that day.
He pointed out President George Bush’s national address the evening of 9/11 affirmed the federal government has reopened its offices, “our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business, as well.”
Ed wrote: “People at my credit union and undoubtedly thousands more wanted to be with their families on that terrible and unsettling day. Who knew what else might be in store for us, or where? I sympathized. I felt a keen need to be with my family also.
“We allowed anyone to go home who felt strongly they should do so. But others remained and kept the doors open that day, and the days following. This was important on two levels. One was symbolic, of course: We would show a face of continuity, and we would not take an action that might lead others to succumb to fears about their savings. The other was functional: We really were there to carry out transactions, provide cash or whatever else people wanted.”
No Better Place to Be
Like many in the wake of 9-11, I believed this latest national crisis was an opportunity to show the strength of credit union’s service model. In October 2001 I wrote of the inherent capability for cooperatives to stand up during a crisis:
“In the past, the credit union approach has flourished in times of uncertainty. The Federal Credit Union Act was passed in 1934, building on experiences from over 20 states, to help members find collective strength to meet individual need during the Depression.
I can think of no better time or place to be in the fall of 2001 than working in the credit union community.”
Cal writes tomorrow about personal experiences of that day. A day we witnessed together a foreign attack on America’s homeland. With all the uncertainty about what would come next for our country. Questions that are ongoing today.