For my grandparents, this was the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked. Following that, there was not a single large-scale attack by a foreign power on the US for over 50 years. Nearly two generations grew up believing that nothing could get them while at home. To be honest, I hope another two generations will make it without knowing the anger and fear that come with being attacked on your home soil.
For those of us in our early twenties on September 11, 2001, this has been a difficult decade. We remembered the Cold War. We remembered the Berlin Wall falling. We also remembered the outbreak of peace and prosperity. The feeling of euphoria because we (and our way of government and life) triumphed over the evil communists. That day changed our world view. More importantly, we knew that it would change everything. We would have to bear the brunt of all of it. We would have to lead the way as we grew up and became leaders. Now we have watched as the markets have rollercoastered. We have made and lost fortune after fortune. We will be forced to carry the burden of one of the largest generations as they enter retirement. But yet we remain committed...unfaltering.
For those of us in the military, the last decade has been even harder. We have gone off into the great unknown to fight an enemy that is hard to see or define. We have lost friends and family members in our pursuit of evil. Our tears water the ground where they lay. But yet we remain committed...unfaltering.
I remember that day. I was in Washington DC. As I sat at Bolling AFB, I saw all the planes on the ground at National Airport. Just creepy. I saw the smoke rise from the pentagon. I sat in HOURS of traffic trying to get back to my little apartment. But what I remember most is the way everyone pulled together. Much of the Metro stopped running, leaving people stranded all over. That could be fixed, I have room in my car. They walked out of offices with no personal items, no phones, no way to tell loved ones they were ok. That could be fixed, here is my phone. The smoke was thick, it was so hot. Don't worry, I will give you water. This is the lesson we must take away.
I do not want this to be a National Holiday. I want us to be mindful but moving on...moving forward. If this was a National Holiday, it would cheapen the sacrifice of both those that died that day and those that still battle the monsters of that day. A National Holiday would give the terrorists the satisfaction of having changed our lives permanently. They didn't, we are stronger than that. It would be another day of blockbuster sales and other such things. Instead I will honor those that died, those that rushed to help, and those that continue to serve. After that I will go back to my life; I will teach my kids to not fear; I will remember and then I will forget so that we may continue as America has for over 50 years feeling secure in our homes and knowing that we are stronger than one attack. I will remain committed...unfaltering.
