9/11/11: A Decade Past, A Time for Reflection

Ten years ago today, a vile and horrific attack on our shores transformed our nation forever. We will never forget where we were that day. The memory of the World Trade Center towers falling, first one then the other, shattered our collective consciousness and seared into our memory an alarm not felt sense another infamous day 70 years ago.  We rose to the occasion just as our grandfathers of the Pearl Harbor attack did.

Ten years hence, we are still suffering the aftershocks of that bright September morning. Engaged in myriad conflicts across the globe, suffering through an economic crisis, Osama Bin Laden dead; we have seen both triumphs and tragedies that have consumed the discourse of our nation as our history has unfolded.  Through all this one thing is true:

We will never forget.

We will never forget those who lost their lives that day. We will never forget those who answered the call and committed to something greater than themselves. We will never forget those who paid the ultimate price in defense of our nation.

I know I will never forget because on this day 10 years ago I was among those Marines training for war in the hot desert of the Mojave. The training became real that day and shaped my life like no other.

That is why on this day, a decade past since September 11, 2001 we will spend our day in remembrance.   To reflect on a day that changed the course of our nation’s history forever.