As the 7th anniversary of that fateful September morning looms large once more, I wonder how many of us still remember the pledge we made to "Never Forget".
What inspired this message? I was going back through the Journal, reading the words of the troops, and came across one that has stayed with me ... From US Army Sgt John Smith
I arrived at this place in my life by influence of one single event. It was a typical sunny September morning and I was brewing a fresh pot of coffee as I sat down to thumb thru the Kinston Free Press. I remember being excited about the day because I was in the process of developing a housing subdivision and I had meetings with potential homebuyers later that afternoon.
All of a sudden a coworker stormed into my office and turned on my television and we both watched in horror as the events unfolded before our eyes. I remember feeling many emotions in the following weeks. Having previously been a soldier after high school, I wanted to run out and reenlist but at the time I was married with children and there was no way I could afford our lifestyle on the salary of a soldier not to mention the disruption that would cause in their everyday lives.
My wife and I later separated and I remember watching a video of those who died in the World Trade Center and all those emotions came
back again.
I reenlisted in March 2003 and have been deployed under Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and now Iraqi Freedom every month since. When I return home in November or December I will have spent nearly 4 years away from my daughters and other loved ones, with the exception of a few weekend visits here and there. It has been tough but I hope they understand one day why daddy was gone for so long.
Do you remember in the days following 9/11 when Democrats and Republicans put aside their differences on national television and joined together with American pride? Do you remember when people drove into town with American flag decals and ribbons in the back window of their cars?
Do you remember the choked up feeling you had every time you heard that patriotic song on the radio as you drove to work or carpooled the kids to and from school? I remember this time well because everywhere you went you could feel American pride in peoples voices and actions. Upon every home hung an American flag with great pride and defiance against those who threatened our land.
What happened to all of that? I began to notice things slowly change back to the way it was prior to 9/11. I drove by peoples homes and saw a tattered and worn flag where a strong and bold looking one used to hang with pride. I noticed sun faded decals either poorly removed with a scraper or just covered with some humorous bumper sticker.
I noticed the radio stations changing back to their original formats. Our lawmakers began to bicker once again as if small children searching for anything to complain about just so they could hear themselves complain. I began to feel that most Americans had forgotten or given up on their display of daily patriotism. It saddened me to see this happen.
All that changed last week. I began to receive letters from people all over that found my name and address on a website that supports troops serving in combat areas. They wanted nothing more than to let us soldiers know they supported us.
I received a letter from a 12 year old girl that said she would try to save up some money to send us things like movies, baby wipes, etc. I sat there reading it with that same choked up feeling I had several years ago when I would hear that patriotic song on the radio. I started getting more letters as the days passed and now everyday we gather around the mail truck at noon to see where the letters are coming from.
Getting mail from our loved ones is one of the best feelings a soldier can have over here but to get mail from a total stranger really shows how powerful compassion and pride can be and it helps motivate us all. Without people like that 12 year old little girl supporting us we could not do what we do everyday. I only wish our Vietnam Veterans had received this kind of support. Then and now we are all Americans and as Americans we must answer a call to duty to protect our way of life.
I hope by writing this I have in some way inspired at least one person to stop and take a closer look at the flag the next time you walk by and remember the blood that was shed to protect it and what it stands for. Maybe you will even shake the hand of that elderly man in the grocery store that’s wearing a WWII Veteran hat. Trust me, it would really make their day. Maybe you would just take a moment out of your day to pray for the families of those that have fallen. If you do one of these things, that means you have done your part as a patriot and I thank you.
SGT John Smith
Thank you Sgt Smith for reminding me why this is important.
Have you forgotten? Do you remember the shock of the reality of what was happening on our home soil? Do you remember feeling the solidarity of pride in America? Did you fly your flag proudly? Do you still? Do you remember how precious your loved ones became to you?
So ... Do you remember? And how do you mark the day?
If you are in the Tacoma area, you can show that you haven't forgotten by standing with our first responders as Tacoma Fire Department Honor Guard pays their respect in a remembrance ceremony on the Tacoma Waterway.
September 11th
9 am
3301 Ruston Way, Tacoma, WA
No matter where you are, please honor the pledge you made in days following the attacks ... "Never Forget"
Whether it is a formal ceremony, or a quiet moment alone. Please take a moment for our Fallen. Take the time to say thank you to our heroes ... firefighters, law enforcement, ems, our troops.
And all of our first responders, remember that this is start of the annual Hero Shirt Drive for the Troops. Check out the new program guidelines on the home page of our main site ... www.HeroToHero.US
I get this question on occasion ... "Do you know the actual numbers of the Fallen?" I have access to the same information we all do. The following is from wiki.answers.com ...
How many people died in the September 11, 2001 attacks?
At least 2,985 people died in the September 11th attacks, including:
19 terrorists
2,966 victims
All but 13 people died on that day. Thirteen died of their wounds. One person has died since the attacks, of lung cancer. It is suspected to have been caused by all the debris from the Twin Towers.
There were 266 people on the four planes:
American Airlines Flight 11 (crashed into the WTC): 92 (including five terrorists)
United Airlines Flight 175 (crashed into the WTC): 65 (including five terrorists)
American Airlines Flight 77 (crashed into the Pentagon: 64 (including five terrorists)
United Flight 93 (downed in Shanksville, PA): 45 (including four terrorists)
There were 2,595 people in the World Trade Center and near it, including:
343 NYFD firefighters and paramedics
23 NYPD police officers
37 Port Authority police officers
1,402 people in Tower 1
614 people in Tower 2
658 people at one company, Cantor Fitzgerald
1,762 New York residents
674 New Jersey residents
1 NYFD firefighter killed by a man jumping off the top floors of the twin towers
There were 125 civilians and military personnel at the Pentagon.
1,609 people lost a spouse or partner on 9/11. More than 3,051 children lost parents.
While there were mostly Americans killed in this horrific attack one must mention (how ever small the group) that non survivors were from other countries:
327 foreign nationals also perished.
Argentina: 4 [1] Australia: 11 Bangladesh: 6 Belarus: 1 [2] Belgium: 1 Bermuda: 1 Brazil: 3 Canada: 27 [3][4] Chile: 2 China: 4 C�te d'Ivoire: 1 Colombia: 17 Democratic Republic of the Congo: 2 Dominican Republic: 1 El Salvador: 1 Ecuador: 3 France: 1 Germany: 11 Ghana: 2 Guyana: 3 Haiti: 2 Honduras:1 India: 1 Indonesia: 1 Ireland: 6 [5] Israel: 5 Italy: 4 Jamaica: 16 Japan: 26 Jordan: 2 [6][7][8] Lebanon: 3 Lithuania: 1 Malaysia: 7 Mexico: 16 Moldova: 1 Netherlands: 1 New Zealand: 2 Nigeria: 1 Panama: 2 [9] Peru: 5 Philippines: 16 Portugal: 3 [10] Poland: 1 Russia: 1 South Africa: 2 South Korea: 28 Spain: 1 Sweden: 1 Taiwan: 1 Ukraine: 1 Uzbekistan: 1 [11] United Kingdom: 67 [12] Venezuela: 1
Thousands of people died in this tragic attack
Excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died as an immediate result of the attacks with another 24 missing and presumed dead.
Quote for the day:
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
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1 comment:
My local area will be participating for the first time, in a "Freedom Walk". The "Freedom Walk" was organized for our local area by the president of our local chapter of Blue Star Mom's. The "Freedom Walk" is to remember those lost on 9/11 as well as remember all Military, Past and Present. It will be the only Freedom Walk north or Sacramento.
I will sadly miss the Tacoma Honor Guard Memorial on Ruston Way this year, however, I will participate in our local event to honor all those lost as well as those still serving.
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