I feel compelled to write something today – the 8th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the fourth plane in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 2,993 people died that day and millions more were affected.
Amanda and I were living in Washington, D.C. and I remember it like it was yesterday. The Internet came to a crawl because everyone was trying to figure out what was going on. Phone lines were jammed and cell phones were unusable. A co-worker’s father was in the Pentagon that morning. He was not able to contact him until much later that evening. I can only imagine what it was like for people living in Manhattan.
I’ve often talked about getting a tattoo. For years I’d said that I didn’t have anything sacred enough to me to put on my body for the rest of my days. Now that I have children their names certainly are special enough to fit that bill. And ever since 9/11 I’ve been toying with the idea of getting the American flag with the words “Let’s Roll” underneath them. Those two words describe the American spirit to me. To this day I make an effort to shake hands with every service man and woman that I see. I get choked up every time I do it whether I’m walking through the airport or in the mall. I’m teaching my boys to do the same. They don’t know why yet but they will.
It pisses me off that the majority of the country has forgotten. We get bogged down by politics, health plans and other stuff that in the grand scheme of things just doesn’t matter. Sure you’ll see a ton of flags today and everyone has it on their mind… but that day changed our lives forever. Please don’t forget when the clock strikes 12 tonight and it becomes September 12th – I know I won’t.
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