Chris Larrabee
By: Keith
Esta fue mi fiesta cuando cumpli 16. Chris fue mi unico invitado.
Ciertas cosas en el mundo son blancas y negras, como el día y la noche. Los ataques del 11 de Septiembre del 2001 fueron maldad pura, tan simple como eso. Sin justificación, sin error – simplemente maldad pura cometidos por personas despreciables, guiados por despreciables creencias. Esos degradados individuos siguiendo un culto enfermo asesinaron a mi amigo Chris Larrabee y nunca voy a perdonarles por eso. Nunca voy a perdonarles su sentido de moralidad. Los Ward Churchills del mundo y otros muchos apologistas pueden besarme el trasero. Pero, ya es suficiente causticidad, aunque sea merecida. Yo quiero hablar de la persona que perdí, no de los moralmente desestabilizados individuos que cometieron el crimen.
Tres años
Yo me mudé de vuelta a California en 1989, cuando estaba en 6º año. La primera persona que conocí, en mi primer día de clases, en mi primera clase, fue Chris. El se sentó junto a mí e inmediatamente nos hicimos amigos. Por tres años, hasta que entramos en la preparatoria y cada uno fue por su lado, el fue mi mejor amigo. Hacíamos todo juntos. Nos escapábamos de nuestras casas en las noches juntos para hacer travesuras. Yo le vi ganar los videojuegos de Súper Mario Bros., Zelda, Punch-out, y Excite bike (el era un maestro en NES). Navegamos juntos, fuimos a la playa juntos (juntamos nuestro dinero para comprarnos una tabla de surf juntos), leíamos revistas juntos (el tenía una colección tremenda), íbamos juntos en bicicleta cada semana al malecón de Redondo Beach a jugar en las maquinitas, y hasta fuimos castigados juntos cuando nos cacharon robándonos unos libros de la biblioteca de la Península. Aún cuando me mudé a Massachusetts, en mi primer año de preparatoria, Chris vino a visitarme. Después d esto nos separamos, y solamente lo vi una vez más, en 1994 (comimos sushi juntos ese día), antes de que fuera asesinado. Esos tres años en mi escuela secundaria no me pueden ser arrebatados. Mi lamento es que el fin haya llegado. Nunca más volveremos a estar juntos.
Recuerdo
Yo recuerdo a Chris con frecuencia. Le recuerdo porque él era mi amigo, y no puedo evitarlo, no porque sea una obligación. Pero si tengo una obligación para con Chris. Tenemos la obligación de hacer este mundo un lugar seguro para nuestros hijos y la obligación de terminar con esta perniciosa plaga de terrorismo y religión radical, o lo que sea. Mis hijos merecen un mejor prospecto, del que finalmente terminó con la vida de Chris. Yo recuerdo a Chris por mis hijos. Les veo y hago la conexión con Chris. No podemos reparar el pasado, pero podemos hacer un futuro mejor. Chris era un hombre joven, viviendo su vida, como todos nosotros lo hacemos cada día. El tenía una familia que le amaba y amigos que se preocupaban por él. Le recordamos porque él era como nosotros. Y pudo haber sido cualquiera de nosotros en esa torre, pero fue él. La próxima vez podría ser uno de mis hijos. Hoy recordamos que fue cosa del destino el que Chris haya sido separado de su familia.
Ve a Legacy Guest Book for Christopher Randall Larrabee para leer lo que otras personas tienen que decir acerca de Chris. Todos, de una manera u otra, conocemos a alguien que fue afectado por el acto de terrorismo. Hubo un estudio hecho poco después del 9/11 que estableció que casi todas las personas en los Estados Unidos, a través de uno o dos grados de separación, conocían a alguien que fue asesinado ese día. En verdad que nos afectó profundamente. De todos los días para tomar el tiempo de meditar, este es ese día.
No related posts.
A loving tribute to a fallen friend. My sympathies to all.
Thank you, mom. I didn’t know if I should say anything today, but it did need saying
I could really feel a great sense of the friendship you had with Chris, Keith. This isn’t just some wordy blog post to fancy up the remembrance of a terrible catastrophe. Very heartfelt, thanks for sharing.
Bob, You put it exactly how I meant it. I know a lot of people who try to hard to impress with their writing. Today is not the day to focus on grammar and being smooth. It’s simply a day to leave out links and self promotion and be real.
Yeah… these sickos took a lot from us that day, didn’t they? I am very sorry for your very personal loss.
Joan, Sicko is the only word I could think of that wasn’t a profanity to describe these people. It hits me every year and I hope we, as a country, never forget it. Years down the road I hope our grandchildren remember what happens when radicalism is not confronted.
I lost a friend near Tikrit in April of 2003 shortly after the war began. Andy was an Army Ranger assigned to a special forces unit that was looking for Saddam. He left behind a wife and 2 year old son. Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my site. I had some other memories come alive as I read this: I used to live on Rockefeller Lane in Redondo Beach back in the late ’80′s. I was only there for about 6 months, but the pier is where I would spend most of my time. I worked at Reuben’s down by the Portofino Inn. Don’t even know if they are there anymore.
.-= NukeDad´s last blog ..Resolve-Redux =-.
Thanks for reding, NukeDad! I’m sorry about your friend. The sacrifices people make so that we live free are incredible. I have two boys and I don’t want them to have to do the same thing because I’m not sure I could handle it. Radicalism needs to be defeated before it takes more good people from us. Thanks again, NukeDad.
Keith: Thank you so much for your thoughts in your beautiful remembrance of my son Chris. Yes, he was truly a very special man. The pain of losing him in such a way has been difficult. Our family misses him more than you know. It’s has been like a heart being ripped out. You have good senses I can tell that in raising your beautiful sons that your experiences and values will produce wonderful men of them someday. Love them, charish them, honor their gift to you as they are the most precious of God’s bountiful gifts in life. God bless you with a bountiful future. Again, thank you!
Janet, I cannot image your loss — it must just be the worst feeling in the world. That you for your kind words about our family. You have sacrificed more than any mother should have to endure. I’m so sorry you had to. People like me will always remember Chris. My sons already know all about him (Alan carries Christopher as his middle name after Chris). Thanks for reading — I wish I could have done his memory better justice. I will continue to write something every year.
Keith, Thank you for the heartfelt words. I am blown away by the impact he had on people in his life. He truely was/is an inspiration and a sincere human being. So many good people perished that day. I remember you well and knew he was proud to have you as a friend. My first born son was named in his honor, Alexander Christopher. Enjoy your family every second. Andrei and the guys every year celebrate “Laz” on this day. I have their contact info. I am also on facebook too. Nicole (Chris’s sister)
Nicole, Yes, I remember you too! Thanks for dropping in to read this. When I first learned about Chris’ death it wasn’t real to me. I stood there thinking “My god, that’s my childhood” It was a selfish thought but that’s all I could think of. Then a few days later it really hit me, the confusion and pain. Most people don’t really know how much he really meant to me. I kept that mostly to myself because I always had every intention of reuniting with him. He was the only guy who I could ever be myself around. It was so natural to be his friend. Alexander Christopher is a good name
My second son is Alan Christopher (for you know who) 
FAO Chris Larrabee’s mother, Janet Satterfield,
Dear Janet,
Forgive me for contacting you out of the blue.
My name is Sally and I recently became a twinless twin. Before I begin, can I just say, how sorry I am for the loss of your son. I know Christopher died almost 10 years ago – but I don’t doubt you think about him each and every day – and miss him every bit as much as I do, my own brother….
On 22 September last year, my beautiful twin brother, Neil, dropped dead in his garden. He was 38 and it was a month before our 39th birthday – when he was due to fly home to Britain (he lived in LA with his wife and 2 year old daughter) to celebrate our big day with the whole family (2 other brothers, their families and my mum and dad). I’ll never forget that day – and the noise that came out of my mouth when I realised he was dead. The desperation I felt. The utter disbelief. And the total fear – at facing a future without him.
Such was my grief, that a couple of weeks before Christmas, I tried to contact the Twinless Twin Support Group. Unfortunately for me, I failed to get a response – but I did read the vast majority of their website, only to discover, that on the day of 9/11, a great many twins found themselves twinless, like me. I couldn’t believe how many twins had perished – the article said 43 (but it could be as many as 46 and no fewer than 37) – and I found myself wanting to find out more about the twins whose lives had been so deeply affected by such tragic and terrible circumstances. Partly because I thought it would help me; perhaps even heal me; partly because I wanted to know that, 10 years on, it does get easier (though I have a horrible feeling, it never really does. You just learn to accept it); and partly because, I myself, am a BBC film maker, and felt the need to share this story with a wider audience. Because it is an untold story. And it is an incredibly poignant story, too.
The BBC are very keen to commission an hour long film about the ‘Twins of the Twin Towers’ – a film that will not only tell the story of the 911 twins (in the towers, on the planes and at the Pentagon) but also explore twin loss and grief more generally – and I am in the process of trying to make contact with as many of the twins as possible.
I’d be very keen to talk to you – and of course to your daughter Paige, Chris’s twin sister – about that fateful day – and the impact it had on your life, then, now and over the last decade. As you can imagine, Neil’s death is still very raw for me right now but I feel an overriding desire to create something positive out of something so overwhelming negative. It’s what Neil would have wanted, too. I’m sure of it.
Forgive the informality of my approach, but I somehow know you and more especially, your daughter Paige, will understand my loss in a way few others will.
Would you / Paige be willing to talk on the phone at any stage? No worries if not – I know grief is a very private thing, but I thought I should reach out regardless.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Very best wishes
Sally
Sally Lisk-Lewis
Head of Development | BBC Factual
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Broadcasting House, Llandaff, Cardiff, CF5 2YQ
8 Sally.Lisk-Lewis@bbc.co.uk
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