My husband wrote this blog and i am circulating it here. Leave the hating comments at the door cause i don't need em and won't tolerate them.
So, Today I write with all seriousness. The following letter will contain no sharp wit, none of my sad attempts at bad humor, or any of the other qualities that make my usual blogs the laughing stock of the literary world.
We mark today as the 6th anniversary of the tragedies that befell our country on September 11, 2001. A day which propelled our military forces into a war spanning multiple fronts across the globe. Most of the attention currently is focused on our larger theaters of operation in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As time separates us from the emotional impact we felt on that fateful day six years ago, most people have turned from "mourning" to "moving on". Like it or not, September 11th, 2001, has become yet another turning point in the history of our American Experiment. While many Americans alive today never experienced the events that unfolded upon us on December 7, 1941, also known as Pearl Harbor Day, it shares this same historical aspect that we know now as Patriot Day. Once openly mourned, as time moves on, so too d our memories. We must be vigilant in our efforts to not forget days such as these, and the people who had their lives taken, and respectfuly, those that voluntarily gave their lives because of such horrible atrocities. For these people all had made their contributions in one way or another, either as they were, or through their influence upon friends and family, to make America what we are today.
Regardless of your opinions about what happened on 9/11 or the War on Terror. Regardless of your political affiliations. Regardless of your religious inclinations. Right or wrong, right or left, Democrat or Republican, Bush-hater or Bush-lover, I ask that you sacrifice a moment or two today to reflect on the PEOPLE that lost their lives that day, and those that sacrificed their own personal freedoms to make sure that you had a shot at making your life the way YOU wanted it to be. Not that these people rate higher than those of past tragedies and conflicts, for they too shaped our country as we know it today, but because these are the people that some of us knew and loved most recently. The ones that we can connect and identify with more readily.
So take a moment silence today in honor of these people, to reflect on them and their families, or if so inclined, to pray for them. America was built on a couple things. Number one was compassion. Compassion for your fellow man, that he or she, as you, could live their life as they saw fit, religiously, socially, etc. Number two was sacrifice. For without the voluntary sacrifice of those who came before us, we could not live in the manner that makes Americans a unique group of people. So I ask that you sacrifice a small insignificant portion of your time to think about the significant compassion we, as Americans, have always shown one another in times of great tragedy and stress, and bestow that upon your neighbor, your friends, and even a stranger. To set aside our differences, if only for a minute, to remember WHO we are, and not what affiliations we label each other on a daily basis.
Following this blog will be the most up to date list of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Another blog will show a list of those who gave their lives for our country, and the freedom of others around the world. This is not a political statement about the war, but a statement of reflection upon those we call our heroes, whether they be firefighters, police officers, soldiers, volunteers, or whatever capacity one of these heroes might occupy.
If you know anyone personally that lost their lives in such a manner, I encourage you to share a story about that person. And if you know a family that has gone through this experience, please forward this to them, and allow them to tell the story of their hero. I intend to make a compilation if I get enough contributions, and immortalize it in print, so that we may not forget these men and women who literally gave it their all. Thank You.
