Click photo to enlarge. Photo courtesy of the
United States Navy.
It's hard to believe that it has been 5 long years, but it has.
September 11, 2001 began as a beautiful autumn morning in New York
City and Washington, DC, but as millions of Americans were watching
the morning news and eating breakfast, the day quickly turned sour
when hijackers took over and flew two commercial airliners into the
twin towers of the World Trade Center. When the first plane hit the
north tower, most people thought it must have been an accident - a
pilot must surely have made a grave error. But minutes later it
became all too apparent that the crash had not been accidental at
all when the second plane struck the south tower.
A few minutes after that a third plane plowed into the Pentagon. A
fourth plane was headed towards the White House, but it crashed
into a Pennsylvania field after several brave passengers who
were determined not to let the plane hit it's intended target fought
with the hijackers and caused it to crash prematurely. The heroes
aboard that fourth airplane sacrificed their own lives in order to
save one of our national landmarks and the people who would be
inside it.
The terrible events that unfolded on that fateful autumn day exactly
five years ago changed the world in which we live forever. We
Americans had always taken our freedom for granted, depending on our
mighty military forces under the direction of our elected leaders to
protect us from our enemies - but suddenly we found ourselves up
against a new kind of enemy. For the first time in the history of
our nation, we were attacked by an enemy who wasn't fighting on
behalf of another country - an enemy who had no fear or
hesitation about committing suicide in order to kill as many
American civilians as possible. As a result, we will likely never again be
able to feel quite as free as we had before that day.
But we Americans weren't about to roll over and give in to the
demands of terrorists. As soon as the smoke had cleared and we knew
exactly who was responsible for the carnage, the Commander In
Chief of the United States Armed Forces dispatched our brave men
and women in uniform to Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the
world to track down those responsible for the September 11 attacks
and those who would love to attack us again in the future. We have
been fighting this "War On Terror" for five long years now, and most
Americans understand that it will likely go on for decades, if not
forever.
We lost thousands of our fellow citizens on that September morning,
but we never for a minute lost our pride in our country or our will
to persevere against such an insidious enemy. We will be forever
vigilant in protecting our country while always remembering our
fallen friends, neighbors and comrades. America will win the "War On
Terror", and her people will always enjoy more freedom and prosperity
than those who plot to destroy us.
Like Old Glory flying proudly above Fort McHenry on another
September morning in 1814, we have emerged from battle battered and
torn, but we are still Americans living in the home of the brave
and the land of the free...and we always will be!About the photo: In remembrance of those who lost their lives on
September 11, 2001, more than 1,200 service members, civic leaders,
and civilians stood together to create a human flag during the 9/11
Hampton Roads Remembers ceremony at Mount Trashmore Park in Virginia
Beach, Virginia. Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Christopher
Hall took today's picture on behalf of the
U.S. Navy and the
American people.
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