Back to Business as Usual?

Nine years ago today our nation was cut into with a dagger so sharp that the scars are still being seen on the evening news everyday. September 11, 2001 was a day that changed all of our lives. Every single person in America and a majority of the world was affected when the United States was deliberately attacked by terrorism. On that day there were a total of 2,993 deaths from the many who were lost in the towers to emergency personnel and military personal to those who were lost in the plane lost in that somber Pennsylvania field. We even have one related death of a recovery worker dying from lung cancer due to the dust from the towers falling. This is a number 364 days out of the year but one day a year we read the names of those lost. We dont know their back stories or their personal lives but yet each one of them is important to America. These sons and daughters of America as well as those from 90 other countries who were lost in the attacks will never be forgotten. But yet the question lies are we back to normal? Have we gone back to business as usual?
I will never forget hearing the fighter jets fly overhead in the skies above northern Virginia. I will never forget running to my mothers arms crying not knowing whether or not my family members in D.C. were lost or not. I will never forget going to the Pentagon with my family the next day standing as an 8th grader with tears streaming down my face looking at the wreckage. I will never forget the immense pain and anger I felt. We were attacked. This attack forever changed the way I looked at not only the world as a whole but my life as well. This event forever ingrained deeper a sense of duty to my country. I remember the overwhelming response at blood banks and Red Cross donation centers. I remember the stories I heard from White House senior staffers of that horrific day. I remember them describing the chaotic scene at the White House and the forming of the 9 11 speech the President gave. I remember the unity we as Americans felt. But yet we seem to have forgotten that fateful day.
There will be memorial services for the lost. Families of the dead will gather to remember their loss on that day. Why have we forgotten? The media said the images were too graphic to show on TV anymore of the towers collapsing and those jumping for their lives. But yet I remember those images in my mind. They are forever ingrained there. We as Americans need to be reminded of the blow we took as a nation more than one day a year. 9-11 was likened to the Pearl Harbor of my generation. But yet we are back to a divided nation except for one day a year. We have loosened our policies to be more friendly in the eyes of the American public and the ever watching eyes of the world. I will not allow myself to forget what happened. I will continue to allow it to affect me. It has to affect me. Bunker Hill, Fort Sumter, Pearl Harbor affected the generations of those who lived through them for the better. What have we done with the tragedy that fell upon us? Have we allowed it to make us better or have we thrown it on a back burner and tried to erase it from our memories. You may not agree with the action taken by the Bush administration to react to the attacks of 9 11, but as an American it is your duty to never forget the loss that we took that day. Men and women are in harms way today, fighting the same fight for the same reason that happened eight years ago today. We cannot allow our nation to forget what happened. We cannot allow our people to be calloused to the events of that day. Today I will wear my uniform with pride. I will stand tall and salute the flag I vowed to protect. I will be proud of my decision to not let the events of that day to ever leave my mind. I will allow the events to change who I am. I once heard a saying that said "I never want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me." We need to affect positive change in America.
As we honor the dead tomorrow, as we come together for one day under a united front allow yourself to remember what happened. Allow your mind to begin to ask if you have done something to affect positive change in your immediate environment. Have you been of service to the people around you. As we lower the flags for one day remember the loss that we took as Americans. Remember the ash, the flames, the rubble, the terror you felt. Remember the feelings you felt and allow it to motivate you to not only live like this is your last day possibly, but allow it motivate you to see your position as an American and the important role you play in advancing and protecting freedom. Let us forget our petty arguments for one day and let us strive to better our country and the foundation it sits on.
Whether or not you are religious, pray for the families that lost loved ones. Pray for the sons and daughters who lost parents. Pray for the spouses of those who mourn the loss of the love of their lives. As we continue to heal never forget what happened. Never allow yourself to be back to business as usual. We do not need to fear of what may come but be watchful. We need to continue to support the government as they ensure the safety of our sacred way of life. And pray that God has mercy and continues to bless our iron union. It is what we are supposed to do.
And that's how the cookie crumbles....

Back to Buisness as usual?