Debra Burlingame, Working to Preserve the Historical Integrity of Ground Zero.

Debra Burlingame, Working to Preserve the Historical Integrity of Ground Zero.

To the uninformed observer, Debra Burlingame might look like an activist. She has been a very public face of the 9/11 victims' survivors. She has willingly engaged some rather intimidating enemies, from the New York intelligentsia to the Pentagon, in high-profile arguments which she has generally won. She is an active and vocal member of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation Board of Directors. Op-eds about and by her have appeared in numerous national publications. But despite all of this activity, she still shuns the title of "activist". To Burlingame, her new public role is simply her duty to her country, making her a citizen and nothing more.

Of course, Burlingame's concept of citizenship would make most Americans weak with preemptive exhaustion. But she has never been one to believe that the United States requires only a passive presence, rather than an active commitment. Growing up, she remembers learning the lesson that all of her blessings and comforts were the result of good fortune, not her own effort. She knew that her American citizenship was a great gift and she eventually understood that, if not properly safeguarded, American security and the American way of life could ultimately crumble. Her brother, Chic, inspired her as well, with his commitment to public service, forged through his work as a Navy fighter pilot, and his ever-present willingness to give of his own time and energy to help solve problems that came his way.

But even with this sense of civic duty, Burlingame has lived most of her life as a private citizen. Ultimately, it was her brother and his lifelong example of duty fulfilled that moved her to assume a more public role. For on 9/11, the commercial plane that Chic Burlingame piloted was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon. When Debra Burlingame and her surviving brothers, always close, were confronted by the unthinkable realities of that day, they soon realized that they could not remain silent. She knew that Chic's sense of honor and his oft-stated commitment to protect those passengers on his plane at all costs would have caused him to resist the terrorists' actions as long as possible. She hoped that spreading the word about his character would not only preserve his memory but also offer some comfort to other grieving families. And so she and her brothers gave interviews and spoke about their brother, even as they worked through their own pain.

As the months passed, Burlingame began to notice a common thread in most of the public statements of 9/11 families. The family members that appeared most often in newspapers and over the air all shared decidedly hostile views of the United States' counterterrorism effort. She knew firsthand, however, that many, if not most, of the other 9/11 families did not agree with these statements and in fact supported American counterterrorist programs, abroad and at home. And so she helped organize

these like-minded families to give their views a voice in the media. The resulting group, 9/11 Families for a Safe and Secure America (www.911familiesforamerica.org ), offered a microphone through which the thousands of like-minded family members could communicate with each other and with the country.

After helping to organize and publicize this opposing view of 9/11 families, a new challenge came Burlingame's way. As the plans for rebuilding Ground Zero in New York City were unveiled, Burlingame was astonished to find the inclusion of an International Freedom Center that eclipsed the 9/11 memorial in both size and scope. Rather than dedicating space and resources to the heroes and victims of 9/11, the International Freedom Center would be an epic, multicultural monument dedicated to exposing the crimes perpetrated by oppressive groups throughout history. While she believed the stories of Native Americans driven from their homelands and of life in the Jim Crow South were important, she and many others were outraged that they would occupy the hallowed ground where so many had fallen. The attacks of 9/11 were attacks upon the innocent civilians of the United States and rather than remembering their lives and honoring their deaths, the International Freedom Center would highlight the injustices perpetrated by the United States against oppressed groups throughout its history.

As a result, Burlingame and like-minded family members launched a campaign to redesign Ground Zero to give greater attention and respect to the sacrifices of the lives lost on 9/11. When she was named to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation Board of Directors, many people thought she would be a quiet voice to lend support and legitimacy to whatever plan was chosen. Instead she became a fierce advocate for a design that would honor the victims of 9/11, free from a political agenda or partisan bias. Her efforts ultimately succeeded as the original vision of the International Freedom Center was scrapped in favor of a design more in line with her vision.

Despite her obvious accomplishments, Debra Burlingame resists placing herself in the spotlight. So many people in the public eye have assumed these roles in search of prestige or publicity, rather than as an honest response to a perceived need. Burlingame is not one of these individuals. Following the tragedy of 9/11, she saw a clear public need that she had the capacity to fill. That need has changed over time, from her initial desire to have people know the character of her brother to her most recent campaign for a respectful 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero. But through all of her work, a single factor has remained constant. She has always clung to her conviction that American citizenship demands an active commitment to solving problems as they arise and to taking responsibility for those solutions within reach of the individual. While she believes activists too often seek only to tear down policies or structures they perceive as unjust, she has followed her vision of citizenship, in which it is not enough to simply point out problems without offering a solution.

Most people in Burlingame's shoes would have understandably withdrawn from the public eye following such a tragedy. Certainly, no one would find it strange for such a person to deal privately with grief and shun the spotlight. But her unique perspective and background allowed her to act positively to effect much-needed changes. While she had no prior experience in politics or advocacy, her convictions and commitment helped facilitate her transformation from at-home mom into a very public person. After watching the noble example of her brother Chic, she understood her personal responsibility to solve those problems within her grasp. By turning her experiences, her skills, and her character to a new challenge, Debra Burlingame has become an effective voice for the 9/11 families in the American war on terror and helped to preserve the authentic memory of 9/11 for future generations. And as new challenges arise, from the growing controversy over the awareness within the military's Able Danger unit of the 9/11 terrorists to the continuing debate over the ultimate reconstruction of Ground Zero, she will undoubtedly remain a positive force in the maintenance of an honest record of 9/11.