Ten Years

Ten years ago tonight, I was in pain. A silly injury to my toe had me laid up. Ten years ago tonight, a new NFL season had just started and I was watching the Giants and the Broncos play the first Monday night game of the year. Ten years ago tonight, I’d just quit my job to begin work at my new business. Ten years ago tonight, life was normal.

Ten years ago tonight, Usama bin Laden was alive. Ten years ago tonight, the American public had never heard of Mohammed Atta. Ten years ago tonight, average Americans were getting kids ready for the beginning days of a new school year and preparing for their work day.

Ten years ago tonight, two thousand nine hundred and seventy seven innocent people had no idea that they were experiencing their last moments on earth. Ten years ago tonight, firefighters, police men and women and paramedics were with their families laughing.

Ten years ago tomorrow, the world was irrevocably changed in the matter of moments.

Ten years later, I am in pain. The pain of the attack on our country penetrated my soul and I will never be the same.

Ten years later, there is football again. But there are also metal detectors and bomb sniffing dogs to greet us as we enter the stadiums.

Ten years later, Usama bin Laden is dead but the terror threat is still at hand. Ten years later, average Americans are getting ready to remember and honor two thousand nine hundred and seventy-seven brave souls who simply were just going on about their day on that beautiful Tuesday morning.

Ten years later, those two thousand nine hundred and seventy seven are only the first victims of that day. There are countless families that have been destroyed in the aftermath of the attack. Not only the families of the victims but families of the first responders, the volunteers and even families not even directly related to the attacks.

Ten years later, people are changed. Some for the better and some for the worse. Ten years later, there are still more American flags displayed than there were before the attacks. Ten years later, firefighters, the police and EMTs are still treated as rock stars even though they have always been heroes.

Ten years later, my four and six year daughters will never know a world without a war on terror. They will never have a September 11 where they don’t watch their mother cry like I did that day.

Our world changed forever that beautiful Tuesday morning and I for one, will never forget.

Six Months

I am a bad blogger. I have let other things get in the way of my writing. Today is the six-month mark from the mid-term elections so my intention was to return to the blog and write about the progress that has been made (or not made) since that day. But once again, other things have gotten in the way. Usama bin Laden is dead.

Last night I was getting ready to catch up on some TV while playing on Facebook. Not different than any other night until about 10:10pm when a seemingly normal post from a local meteorologist informed me that President Obama was to address the nation at 10:30. I immediately reposted the information to my circle of friends and we began to speculate about what was about to be dropped into our laps. Our first reaction was to think of either Libya or Syria but then upon hearing about the National Security staffs being scrambled to their offices at such a late hour we then wondered about North Korea or the possibility of an imminent attack here at home. About 10 minutes into the discussion (and BEFORE it was mentioned by Geraldo Rivera) we asked, “what if it’s bin Laden?”

Just a few minutes later we listened with the rest of the world as the news began break that Usama bin Laden had been killed. The news was sketchy. First it was that bin Laden was killed a week ago and we had been waiting for DNA testing to make the announcement. That didn’t seem quite plausible as no one seemed to believe that a secret of this magnitude could be kept for that long. More and more information surfaced and the President finally emerged to deliver the news to the nation that he had ordered the strike on a Pakistan compound that had indeed killed the world’s most wanted man

Within minutes of the initial news, conspiracy theorists started spinning their layers of ‘facts’. Bin Laden was actually killed a week ago. No he was killed in 2002. He died of natural causes and President Obama was using his death to ensure his re-election. Whoa! Back off for a minute everyone and let the American people revel in ONE MOMENT of celebration.

On September 11, 2001 bin Laden was responsible for the deaths of 2,819 people. Before that he was responsible for the deaths of the seventeen sailors aboard the USS Cole. He had been tied to the US Embassy bombings, the first World Trade Center bombing and had openly declared war on the United States. This is a man that every red-blooded American man, woman and child should be happy to see removed from existence.

I patiently waited through the initial reports of bin Laden’s death and slowly the coverage on the news channels began to show the spontaneous celebrations erupting outside the White House, at Ground Zero and at Times Square. It was there, in the gathering in Times Square, that I received my moment of celebration - a lone New York City Fire Department truck, lights flashing, with several firemen atop being congratulated from all sides from the growing crowd.

Photo Copyright: Michael Appleton for The New York Times

So having received my wanted moment of celebration, I began to process the night’s events. We got him. I don’t care when or how really (although I must say it makes me extremely happy that it was hand to hand combat at the hands of a Navy SEAL team) I just care that he is no longer alive and walking the planet. I am happy that this news will bring peace to some (although not all) of the people who were most affected by his murderous actions. As a survivor of a violent attack who then learned of her attacker’s death, I understand the feeling of peace and relief that can come with the news.

In the aftermath of this celebration, we are left with the question, WHAT NOW? We are most likely in markedly more danger now than we were 24 hours ago. There will undoubtedly be attacks (whether organized or rogue) in retaliation for our role in their perceived leader’s demise. Bin Laden was not the true head of al Qaeda any longer and hadn’t been for a long time but we will receive blowback from his death. Did we win the war on terror? No, but we certainly proved to the world that no matter how long it takes, when you strike us we WILL come after you and we will take you out.

I applaud President Obama for continuing the work that President Bush started on a long ago September morning atop the rubble of the World Trade Center with a bullhorn. I wish that President Obama had thanked his predecessor in his remarks last night because without the heroism and Texas-sized bravado of President Bush, we would not being watching last night’s events unfold. The countless numbers of military forces who have served our country in three wars since September 11, 2001 should be thanked forever for their sacrifices and loss. The families of our fallen Marines, soldiers, airmen, sailors and Special Forces should be forever in our prayers. The first responders who continue to run into buildings should be thanked every time that you run into them.

Above all, be realistic. Usama bin Laden’s death does not make us any safer than we were yesterday. There are still fundamental changes, changes that were started the night of the mid-term elections, that need to be made or else our country’s survival will continue to be at risk. Do not let the excitement and exuberance over the death of a terrorist cloud your focus. I have faith in the American spirit and in the American people. When you take away our freedoms and try to take away our fight, we come out swinging. We will finish the job no matter how long it takes. President Obama just proved that. I just hope he remembers that it’s just the American Way when the people come for his job in the next election.