911

Hard to believe it’s been five years. I remember getting that phone call from my mom on that September morning and instantly recognizing the urgency in her voice. “Turn on the television set…a plane crashed into the World Trade Center.” Her call woke me, so I was still in a fog. What I would see on the television moments later cleared the haze instantly. It’s eerie how vividly the images still are, all these years later.

I glued myself to the front of our T.V. for 18 hours that day. I, like just about everyone in this country, couldn’t believe it had happened. We would learn that our attackers were simply a weak band of animals who fought their battles like cowards under the cloak of terrorism.

Sonya and I had begun planning the expansion of our family, but I remember pondering the events of that day in a conversation with her about the type of world we would be bringing a child into. The world had become a pit of venom in a few hours. Rather, our red, white and blue sanctuary had allowed a little bit of evil to finally hit home.

We would obviously go on to have a second child, but not without the additional worry of having to raise children in a very different world than the one we knew as children. Will my children ever get to see the world, for fear of being blown up on a plane or murdered by extremists outside the confines of their own home?

The only way my children will be able to experience the wonders of the world is to eradicate this honorless threat. So I support it’s eradication. Do what we must to get the job done. The rules were broken on that September morning, so we need to redefine the rules. Do what we must.

I got up this morning, and flipped through a few channels as I got ready for work, skipping past all the coverage of the memorial services being held around the country. I finally landed on MSNBC, which decided to air NBC’s coverage of that black day. As I sat there buttoning my shirt, the hair stood up on the back of my neck as I watched the first tower fall for the second straight time.

We flew our flag today, in honor of those that gave their lives five years ago. We also flew in honor of a way of life that we do not take for granted. It is something that we must protect at whatever costs. The rules have changed, so we must to.