With all the different news mediums and blogs devoted to commemorating the events of today, I vowed to stay away from the subject that is the 5th year anniversary of 9/11. What else can I say that has not been said? What other "angle" can I cover? After much thought and prayer, it dawned on me that NOT talking about 9/11 is more a disservice to those who died and/or suffered because of the events of that day.
I recently read the text of the 9/11 commission report and as the events unfolded in a minute-by-minute fashion, I felt, again, the deluge of emotions that accompanied the first time I heard of the attacks five years ago. I poured over the list of the names of all who perished in the different hijacked flights and at the Pentagon, and I wondered if, five years later, I would find a familiar name which would bring the events closer to home. These tragic events has no room in God's perfect world. But since we live not in that perfect world, we have to deal with them and their aftermath.
Therefore, for the 2,996 souls who perished, let us not dishonor their sacrifice by remembering the facts as they happened. Five years is not a long time and most of us who are alive now have first hand experience and/or eyewitness of these events. Let us not allow the historical revisionist and the conspiracy theorist to promulgate their distortions of these events. Let us hold true to all we have read and witnessed in the days and months that followed. Let us continue to keep their memories alive for they are innocent of any wrong-doing. Let their deaths not be in vain.
For our men and women in uniform, let us keep them in prayer. The aftermath of 9/11 gave birth to our "War on Terror" and they are on the frontlines carrying out the enviable duty of protecting our country and its citizens. I understand the need for tolerance and diplomacy, not just in international affairs, but in our everyday life. However, 9/11 was a direct attack of the American people on American soil. The need for diplomacy quickly passed as soon as Flight 11 was hijacked and the first American blood was spilled. As much as I am a proponent of peace, I firmly believe in our right to defend and protect ourselves from people and groups who are bent on annihilating us simply because they are intolerant of our beliefs. Let us not give in to the jihadis who carried out these heinous and reprehensible acts for they are not interested in a peaceful co-existence. Let us stand firm in defending our beliefs and our freedoms.
And lastly, let us not forget that we are Americans, and we owe our allegiance and loyalty to the flag of this great country. Let us not be shamed or beaten to submission by the murderers who caused this tragedy and their cohorts. As citizens of this great country, we have a responsibility to uphold the very foundations of our way of life, and that responsibility can only be carried out by an unfailing and uncompromising commitment.
Each year, let us look at these events of this day with fresh eyes and experience anew our sense of outrage, horror, grief and patriotism and use all of that to strengthen our spirit and reaffirm our resolve in establishing America as the greatest democratic country of this age.
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