In Remembrance of September 11, 2001

With the 20th anniversary of 9/11 that is today, I can’t help but look back on the past eighteen years since. My heart has ached not only for the lives lost on that fateful day at the World, Trade Center, The Pentagon, and in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, but also for the loved ones left behind.

I also mourn the loss of the America that I grew up in, the America that my Daddy served and took great pride in, an America whose people once felt secure and free in, an America whose schools always began the day with the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord’s Prayer, an America without some of the ridiculous laws of today…an America whose people were never afraid to tell it like it is or call it what it is, an America that was not afraid to profess its faith in God.

I also grieve for a once-great nation who’s people were proud to be Americans instead of being ashamed of it. We were proud to fly Old Glory on our lawns and it never occurred to us that there would one day be those who would try to force us to take it down. I grew up during a time when standing on the flag was unheard of. In those days, great care was taken so that it never even touched the ground.

When I watched the Twin Towers and Pentagon burning on my television screen that morning, I knew that this country would never again be the same and that life as we knew it was forever changed. When I saw the hole in the field in Pennsylvania, I couldn’t help but think that the White House or Capitol were possible targets of the terrorists who forcefully commandeered flight 93.

What I remember most, however, is the World Trade Center. I remember well the images on the news as does everyone else. I recall the towers burning and falling, I remember the streets being covered with ash, plane parts, concrete, and papers.

But the image that haunts me the most is of people plummeting 100 stories to their deaths to escape the intense heat of burning jet fuel.

For the life of me, I cannot comprehend the terror that went through their minds as they plunged to the hard asphalt below. I cannot imagine the gut-wrenching feeling of knowing that I am inevitably about to die and having to choose which way to go, with the alternative being so horrible that I would have to jump from so high up.

I pray for the families of those who died that day. I also hope and pray that no one will ever again be put in a situation to where they would have to make a horrible and soul-shaking decision such as that. Ever! I also hope and pray that one day, we the people can rise up and take back not only the values and morals of yesterday but also the freer, happier and more care-free country we once knew.

Never forgot September 11, 2001! May we, as a country, stand as united as we did that fateful day twenty years ago.

In God We Trust
God bless the USA