Infamy

I still remember where I was nine years ago. I still remember waking up and turning on the news and seeing flight 175 crash into the South Tower. I sat back and watched as the world changed. As a historian, I have seen President Roosevelt's speech to congress after the attack on Pearl Harbor and his declaration as "December 7th, 1941 as a date which will live in Infamy"... so too will September 11th, 2001.

Here we are, nine years later and things are better and worse. America is not naive anymore and the world has become a stronger place because of it. Well, I guess that last statement depends on your point of view and your opinion. I for one feel that as a result of our losing naivete that we have paved the way to making our planet stronger.

We remember this day for the horror that was unleashed, we remember the sadness that came without warning, and we remember the destruction that was brought forth. However, we also remember the courage of fire and police officers who ran into burning buildings to save strangers. We remember a plane full of passengers that fought back and prevented their plane from reaching its target and destroying another federal building. We remember the heroism of the many and we remember the sacrifice of the men and women since that day that have died to keep our country safe.

It is indeed a date that will live in infamy. The world changed forever that day. There is no going back to the way things were before 9/11/01. We must move forward and we must not look back and wonder where our lives would be if this did not happen.

My heart goes out to the ones who are without family today because of this moment in human history that we wish we could erase. My prayers are with them and it is my hope that they can find peace in this lifetime. I am proud of our men and women in uniform whether they are soldiers, airmen, marines, police, firefighter, whatever; thank you for your service to this nation. Thank you for your dedication to defeating terror. Thank you for your commitment to this country and to its citizenry. We owe you so much more than that, but I am truly thankful.

On this day, we have so much to reflect upon and we see where the city of New York in the aftermath. There is the construction of a new tower, the Freedom Tower, there is hope in the form of a city united again, and there is concern with the talks of building a mosque so close to the site of destruction and chaos. I've already said my peace on this matter, you can read it yourself. This isn't about that. It is my hope and prayer that cooler heads will prevail and that intelligence will win out in the end over pride and ego.

We remember the sacrifice. We remember the brave. We remember the lost. Please, take a moment and have a moment of silence today to honor our brave so that they are not forgotten.

Until next time
P