These days, everyone's mind is fo - cused on the war in Iraq, and the Americans who every day face an un certain future there. Indeed, some 3,680 American soldiers have already fallen victim to the war, and every day brings news of a higher number. These fallen soldiers, however, aren't the only victims of terrorism who must bravely face death on a regular basis.

Far closer to home, those Americans who bravely dug through the rubble at Ground Zero shortly after the World Trade Center fell are still fighting. Many Americans struggled to survive on Sept. 11, 2001. In total, the lives of some 2,974 people ended that day. For others, ground zero was only the beginning, the starting point on a deadly race against the odds. For these men and women, the fight to survive isn't over yet.

The debate regarding whether expo - sure to chemicals at the World Trade Center site can lead to human deaths has been a hot topic over the past few years, with Felicia Dunn-Jones - who died of exposure some five months after the attacks - now being recognized as a Sept. 11 victim, and Detective Kevin Hawkins - also at the scene - having recently passed of cancer (his family feels the illness was due to exposure at the site), there should be no denying that those who were America's heroes on Sept. 11 may now need heroes of their own.

Vito Valenti, a resident of New York, was a Sept. 11 responder who was at ground zero aiding in the rescue efforts after the towers fell. He may have survived the hell that was ground zero but he now must struggle through everyday life, hoping that his scarred lungs will someday be replaced or at least acknowledged. People have had no problem admitting Vito Valenti was a hero on Sept. 11, but now that Valenti has been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, and he needs a double lung transplant to survive, it seems that the government is less willing to acknowledge this hero, turning a blind eye.

To make a long and tragic story short, Valenti isn't on the transplant list and he doesn't have medical insurance. His only crime was a leave of absence from work after the attack during which time he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He is currently breathing through a donated oxygen machine as he can't afford his own; 2005 marked an end to health benefits for Valenti, who is himself in far from perfect health.

But where is the media coverage, where are all the human rights groups, where are the pickets and signs? And where are all the fellow 911 survivors? They are themselves, in many instances, also sick.

Why has so little been said about this true heroes' ailment? Perhaps the situation is so tragic we don't want to think about it. But every person who knows Valenti's story can no longer turn a blind eye or deaf ear.

Valenti dug through the World Trade Center rubble due to his respect for human life - and now, it seems as though nobody in power respects his.

Thousands of people lost loved ones on Sept. 11, and now the fateful day may very well claim yet another victim, one of many who will undoubtedly suffer in the years to come due to their heroic acts. Perhaps some day the government will acknowledge these patriots, but Valenti can't wait that long.

Dennis Mikolay

senior Middletown High School North