0958 – The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses.

0945 – US Airspace is Shutdown

0937 – Flight 77 crashes into the western side of the Pentagon.

US Navy image of the damage to the Pentagon where 125 perished in an airline attack against the building.

0903 – Flight 175 crashes into the south face of the South Tower of the World Trade center.

MSNBC-National Geographic still screenshot; 9/11 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City.

0846 – Flight 11 crashed into the north face of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

America is at war.

0850-0854 – Flight 77 is hijacked.

0814 – United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 carrying 56 passengers and nine crew members, departed from Logan International Airport, bound for Los Angeles International Airport, with five hijackers onboard.

0820 – American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 carrying 58 passengers and six crew members, departed from Washington Dulles International Airport in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, Virginia, bound for Los Angeles International Airport, with five hijackers aboard.

0842 – United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 carrying 37 passengers and seven crew members departed from Newark International Airport, bound for San Francisco International Airport, with four hijackers aboard.

0842-0846 – Flight 175 is hijacked.

0600 – terrorists Mohammed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari traveled to Logan International Airport from Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine.

0652 – fellow terrorist Marwan al-Shehhi called Atta at Logan to confirm the plans of the attack.

It’s been 15 long years since I awoke to a nation under attack. The longer it’s been, the closer I find myself to that day. I remember it all so vividly, events unfolding on the TV screen. I was on leave anticipating a PCS to SOCPAC in Hawaii at the end of the month and had slept in that day but once I realized what was happening, I made my way from my quarters on base, to the Squadron&/ headquarters building. Only a skeleton staff had assembled. Both Fort Bragg and Pope AFB had gone to THREATCON Delta, making entry extremely difficult for anyone, mission critical or not. Granted, we didn’t know much, but it was obvious we were at war and whatever did happen was going to involve us, so my mind was on the tasks at hand. At the time, were in crisis response mode, so there was no time for emotion, just action.  That sustained me for many years.

Now, I can take it all in. Now, I can grieve, and I do. I often speak with my children about the significance of Septemeber 11th, 2001 on my own life, and our life as a family. It’s strange to consider that I have served in a war that one of my daughters has also served in.

Last year, I shared a story about my youngest, who wasn’t even born yet on 9/11. He had come home from school and told me his homework was to talk to me about September 11, 2001. I showed him the Towers. I ran him through the timeline and told him about the needless deaths that day and the heroes who saved so many. I told him of friends lost fighting this war. Then, I said to my son, “Now I’m going to show you the one thing you need to always remember about that day,” and we looked at pictures of the jumpers and I explained their choice. Then, after he went to play, I wept.

Please join me in remembering those we lost on September 11th, 2001 and over these ensuing 15 years as we have waged war against terror.

“OneWorldTradeCenter” by Joe Mabel – Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

We’ve rebuilt the structures they destroyed but we’ll never be able to replace the lives they took. America is a resilient, vibrant nation. But, we’re in danger of ignoring what a dangerous place this world is. The threat isn’t gone. We must remain vigilant. We must never allow another tragedy such as this to befall our people.

I continued serving for several years after that day, retiring, and eventually working in industry. Over time I began to process the tragedy. I’ve dealt with it little more each year as I grow further and further the events. And yet, something has remained.

I will Never Forget and I will Never Forgive.