17 years later...
And as I was getting ready for my morning run this morning, I found myself doing the same. The words I wrote on Facebook four years ago still hold true every Patriots Day and every day.Never forget.
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When I went on my morning run today, I started to reflect on what I was doing that fateful morning 13 years ago. For whatever reason, my mind drifted to not what I was doing, but to what those who lost their lives that day were doing… I’m sure there were several that were out for their morning runs contemplating the plans for the day just like I often do. I thought about how they had no idea what was going to happen that day, just like the rest of us, and how a seeming innocent morning would change our world forever. I thought about how they must have felt if they were one of those in the towers, in the Pentagon, or on one of the planes. I thought about how their loved ones must have felt, watching in horror as the events were unfolding, or how it must have felt knowing they were hearing their loved ones voice for the last time. I realized that after 13 years, the sadness I felt on that day really hasn’t changed.
I still get chills when I hear GWB’s bullhorn moment as he stood in the
rubble of the Twin Towers…"I can hear you! The rest of the world hears
you! And the people – and the people who knocked these buildings down
will hear all of us soon" and the crowd’s prolonged chants of "USA!
USA!" I am thankful we had a president at the time who wasn’t afraid
take a stand and go after those who caused us harm. I’m not so confident
the current powers that be would make that same decision. I hope we
never have to find out.
Many people “say” they’ll never forget, but do they truly live by those words? I can honestly say I haven’t forgotten. Because of my involvement in the Young Marines program and our yearly trips to DC for Veterans Appreciation week, I’ve been fortunate to watch the Shanksville memorial go from a small shack with a flag way off in the distance marking the spot where the people aboard Flight 93 met their deaths to the beautifully designed monument it is now. I've also been there as our Young Marines were one of the first youth organizations to lay a wreath at the Pentagon Memorial and as we toured the Pentagon twice and walked the same hallways that were destroyed by the airplane. No matter how many times I’ve been to either memorial, I can’t help but think about the events that day and think about the lives that were lost. There really are no words to describe those emotions and those experiences are ones I think about often. And watching videos of that day brings about the same sadness today as it did 13 years ago.
God bless those who lost their lives that day, their families and friends who miss them terribly, and God bless the men and women of the armed forces, the police, EMTs, and firefighters who willingly do what they do to keep us safe.
God bless America.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
#neverforget #neverforget911 #911 #unitedwestand #onenationundergod #shanksville #twintowers #pentagon #flight93 #weremember911 #godblessamerica #911memorial #trueamericanheroes #patriot day
Many people “say” they’ll never forget, but do they truly live by those words? I can honestly say I haven’t forgotten. Because of my involvement in the Young Marines program and our yearly trips to DC for Veterans Appreciation week, I’ve been fortunate to watch the Shanksville memorial go from a small shack with a flag way off in the distance marking the spot where the people aboard Flight 93 met their deaths to the beautifully designed monument it is now. I've also been there as our Young Marines were one of the first youth organizations to lay a wreath at the Pentagon Memorial and as we toured the Pentagon twice and walked the same hallways that were destroyed by the airplane. No matter how many times I’ve been to either memorial, I can’t help but think about the events that day and think about the lives that were lost. There really are no words to describe those emotions and those experiences are ones I think about often. And watching videos of that day brings about the same sadness today as it did 13 years ago.
God bless those who lost their lives that day, their families and friends who miss them terribly, and God bless the men and women of the armed forces, the police, EMTs, and firefighters who willingly do what they do to keep us safe.
God bless America.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸  | |
At a risk of sounding patriotic, we need to make sure the infamy of this day never slips from our minds. So raise a glass: to those who died that day, innocent of wrong to those who have died, avenging their deaths and to those who will die, making sure it never happens again. |
#neverforget #neverforget911 #911 #unitedwestand #onenationundergod #shanksville #twintowers #pentagon #flight93 #weremember911 #godblessamerica #911memorial #trueamericanheroes #patriot day
