It’s been 14 years now. The longer it’s been, the closer I become to that day. I remember it all so vividly, events unfolding on the TV screen and once I realized what was afoot, as I made my way from my quarters on base to my Squadron, as a skeleton staff assembled. Granted, we didn’t know much, but it was obvious whatever did happen was going to involve us, so my mind was on the tasks at hand. We were in crisis response mode so there was no time for emotion.
Now, I can take it all in. Now, I can grieve, and I do. My youngest who wasn’t even born yet on 9/11, came home from school yesterday 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 as 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 14 years.
“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 to befall our people.
I continued serving for several years after that day, retiring, 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.
One thing has remained.
I will Never Forget and I will Never Forgive.
