You’ll hear it countless times today: “Never forget”. You’ll see flags. You’ll see Facebook and Twitter profiles updated. But have you really remembered since last year? Ask yourself… when was the last time you TRULY remembered the events of September 11th, 2001? Was it last year? I sincerely hope not. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that I remember it often.
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out this story from NBC New York about the rainbow that appeared over Manhattan yesterday and appeared to be arching to / from 1 World Trade Center.
I’ve been doing a September 11th post for the last several years now. I’ve read back through all of them this morning and wanted to re-share some thoughts from those posts:
From Should September 11th Be a National Holiday?
I’ve read more books, watched more documentaries and digested more blogs, forums and web pages about September 11th than probably about any other day in history. I’ve read the official position, I’ve read the conspiracy theories. As with most things in life we’ll probably never know the truth, but it’s probably somewhere in the middle. I can honestly say that I don’t believe the official story of what happened that day, but that’s neither here nor there. The day fascinates me not from a morbid perspective, but because of what a tragedy it was. I wasn’t around during Pearl Harbor, Kennedy’s assassination or D-Day, but I can only imagine that those created similar feelings among Americans.
From Never Forget September 11th – Together We Roll Forward
To this day, when I see someone in uniform, I stop and make a point to shake their hand and say “Thank You”. Damn near every time I do it, I get choked up. I’m teaching my kids to do the same thing. Even though they really don’t know what took place on that day I want to instill in them the proper respect and reverence for those that keep us safe.
14 Years Later – Where Were You That Morning?
This morning in one of the FB groups I belong to someone asked us to recount where we were on that fateful morning. Here was my response:
Alexandria, Virginia. Had to follow the story via the web on BBC because all US websites were clogged and all cell service in DC was down.
Once the Pentagon was hit I was able to see the smoke from my office window. My wife (who was working in Arlington) and I made our way home in traffic that was worst than normal for DC which is saying a lot and we parked on the couch for the rest of the day / evening to watch it unfold on TV.
The most eerie thing was how silent the skies around VA / DC were. No planes, no helicopters. That’s very rare for that area. The only thing in the air were fighter jets.
I never forget. I think of that day and the weeks that followed often.
Make sure you fly your flags today I certainly am. Would love to see Old Glory everywhere I look in the Burg. God Bless the USA.
Let’s roll…
If you haven’t yet, fly your flag today. I’ve been flying mine more often lately, probably every day since about mid August. The flag is a symbol of our great nation. It should not be reserved for a few special days of the year. If you don’t have one please get one. Take a look at that flag and realize what it stands for. Regardless of all the bitching and moaning we do about politics, and guns, and healthcare, and gay marriage, etc, we’re in the greatest country in the world. Don’t forget that. Never forget.
