Four Years Later

Today, we watched as the mourners gathered again to ground zero, and once again, the pictures tug at my heart. My love and prayers are with the families. May God bless them.

As a people, we must never forget the reason we fight radical Islam. The rude boisterous diatribe from anti Capitalist leftists is so loud at times we lose faith in our abilities to win. But the wake up call was loud and our resolve is still strong. As long as Americans remain focused on the bigger picture, and ignore the sidetracking of those who seek to lead us again into danger's arms, men like Bin Ladden will never again catch us asleep!


Now, four years after the deadliest terrorist attack in history, we reflect on the events of that day. Our thoughts go back to what we were doing when the wake up call came. Were you working in your office as were the people in the towers? Maybe you were at home watching TV, or doing chores around the house. Perhaps you were out of the house and did not hear of the tragedy until much later. No matter what your unique memory is, the common thread we all share is that 911 was sealed in the pages of our memory for all time! Today, I wanted to share with you my memory of that day.

Tuesday, September Eleven, 2001

As I do every day, I awoke just before 6:00 AM. Had a glass of orange juice and read the morning headlines on-line. There was much being made of the disappearance of Sondra Levy and the despicable face of Gary Condit stared out from the Reuter's photograph as if to say, of course I'm guilty. I was still somewhat aglow from the victory in Florida, and laughing at the predictable bawl-bagging from the left about the 'stolen election'. I watched a little TV and then drove my oldest son to school and made the 3 mile trek to work by 7:40 AM. Just like every day for the past ten years, I started the day listening to Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Tony Evans and Elizabeth Elliott on KMOC christian radio. I had been to the gas station and was off to do my rounds in Graham Texas. That is when I heard the special report break through. The announcer said there had been an apparent accident. A single engine plane had crashed in to the World Trade Center. I radioed in to base and told them the news. Then I went back to the gas station and told them to turn the News on so we could see how bad it was. As we watched, the second plane hit. I said, " Look they caught it on tape, that's a jet not a small plane." Then they reported that it was a second plane. My gut wrenched. I now knew that America was under attack.

I had to get to Graham by 8:30 AM, so I jumped back on the road and tuned to WBAP-AM radio. The familiar voices reported on the events surrounding the attack and speculated about who was responsible. My mind raced, the whole time I worried it might escalate, and whether or not I would get back home to my family in time. Every where I went, I stayed long and watched the coverage on TV. When I got home that evening, I remembered for the first time all day, that today was our third wedding anniversary. I hugged my family and we watched the news all night. As soon as I awoke on the 12th, I rushed to the TV to see what had transpired while I slept. I have not taken my eyes off the news since.

Before that day, most of us had never heard of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Sheik Omar Bakri Mohammed, Mohamed Atta, or even Bin Ladden. Few of us took an interest in the previous terrorist acts in Africa and the middle east. Even the '93 attack on the towers, and the bombing of the USS Cole failed to get our attention. But now, Americans know the faces of our enemy. Now, we are more alert and prepared. I pray we continue to be.

Since I started writing, I have covered the ins-n-outs of 911, the warnings, mistakes, and aftermath. So I chose not to rehash the same ol things and take this opportunity to relate how I experienced that fateful day four years ago, and remind you that we make ourselves safer when we face these monsters head on.

This quote helps to remind me how important it is that we never revert to the mentality of laissez-faire !

"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half." -Sir Winston Churchill