Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning? This question is the title to an Alan Jackson song and it is the “common event” that unites my generation across the country. Much like the assassination of John F. Kennedy in my parents’ generation, almost everyone knows where they were on that September day. Tuesday, September 11, 2012, marks the Eleventh Anniversary of that horrendous day. Not too long ago, something was said on TV that made my kids ask, “What are they talking about?” Our oldest son, who wasn’t born yet, answered something about some buildings falling that he learned in History class. That’s right, one of the most life altering days in American History is merely a mention in the history books now. The answer I gave our children made them cry. They couldn’t understand how such evil could exist in the world. Why would somebody want to hurt all those people? For those of you who weren’t alive yet or maybe just too young to remember, here is a short tribute to the men and women who died that day…and, every day since. I had signed out on leave the night before, ready to come home for a visit. I was in the Infantry stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY. That morning I was watching the news before leaving for Louisiana. I saw a plane had hit a building, so I called my mother in case she hadn’t heard about it. As we were talking, the second plane hit. I told her I had to go and hung up the phone. I called my unit to find out what was happening and was told, “We don’t know, yet. Stand Ready!” From that moment on, America has been at war. “The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/11) were a series of foursuicide attacksthat were committed in theUnited Stateson September 11, 2001, coordinated to strike the areas ofNew York CityandWashington, D.C. On that Tuesday morning, 19terroristsfrom theIslamistmilitant groupal-Qaedahijackedfour passenger jets. The hijackers intentionally piloted two of those planes,American Airlines Flight 11andUnited Airlines Flight 175, into the North and South towers of theWorld Trade Centercomplex in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours. The hijackers also intentionally crashedAmerican Airlines Flight 77intothe PentagoninArlington, Virginia, and intended to pilot the fourth hijacked jet,United Airlines Flight 93, into theUnited States Capitol Buildingin Washington, D.C.; however, the plane crashed into a field nearShanksville, Pennsylvaniaafter its passengers attempted to take control of the jet from the hijackers.Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, including the 246 civilians and 19 hijackers aboard the four planes, none of whom survived.”Quoted from Wikipedia.com. Those few heroes on UA Flight 93, the countless firefighters, police officers, EMT’s, and even innocent by-standers were the first of many casualties of that day. Our soldiers are now fighting a battle that was declared “Won!” many years ago. Most of the men and women currently serving in our Armed Forces around the world were still in grade school when these attacks took place. As of September 6, 2012, militarytimes.com reports6568 as the number of Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn casualties as confirmed by U.S. Central Command. Several years ago, I talked with a guy I served with. He had just come home from fighting to see his son for the first time. He said, “Man, I’d love to talk, but I’ve got to go back in less than two weeks and I want to see my family.” He said he’d watched his whole chain of command be blown up and killed in front of him over the past three weeks. He was home to celebrate Christmas with his family. Time to talk on the phone is one of the privileges we take for granted. Time to see our families, our baby’s first words and steps, even a cold coke, we take for granted. I would like to say thank you to all of those who have served, all of those who are waiting for their loved ones to return home, and all of those who will choose to serve in the future. 1 John 3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” NIV Let us not forget that day in history. Remember that we are still fighting the “War on Terror”. Be thankful, be mournful, and be grateful for the freedoms you are allowed to enjoy. Written by Robert Lemoine www.foreverandalwaysonline.com Pictures taken from Google Images This story also appeared inThe Banner(Union Parish, Louisiana) PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING ALL DAY AS A REMINDER
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