Since this blog serves as the baby book/remembrance book for DS and our family, I thought it to be noteworthy to do a post on recent events. On Sunday night, Scotty and I were shocked to see the news: Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, and much more, was dead. This tyrant had finally been dealt with, and by a company of US Navy SEALS and CIA operatives, no less. The best of the best, they said. For me, this event caused me to remember the events of 9/11/01. This year will mark the 10-year anniversary of that fateful day, and I remember it like it was yesterday.
Living in Harper (private dorm) at Tech my junior year, I was asleep when I got the call from my mom. She asked me, "Do you know what the hell is going on?!?". "No, Mama, I just woke up. What's going on?". "A plane just flew into a building in New York!". "Big deal," I told her as turned on Good Morning America. And then it happened...a second plane flew into the other of the Twin Towers. That could not be a coincidence. I don't remember getting off the phone with her, but I know that I must have. I was glued to the tv coverage of the developing events. I remember sitting on my bed, crying as I watched the buildings collapse. At that point, I hadn't been to NY. Truth be told, I don't even recall knowing about the World Trade Centers before that day. But I knew there was no way those people in the buildings could get out -- the majority of them anyway. And I was sad for them, and for their families, and for what we only knew to be "not random coincidences" that would turn out to not only change the skyline of such a famous city, but would forever change the lives of nearly every American. I had no class and didn't have to be at work until noon. I took a quick shower and slowly got ready affixed in front of the tv. I walked over to Chick fil-A about 10:45 to grab a quick bite before leaving for work. As I walked, I could hear a plane overhead and briefly thought, Not here, too! Why somebody would fly a plane onto Tech's campus didn't make much sense, but as I got closer to the building, I saw the shadow of the plane overhead. Later on, I would learn that all planes had been grounded and President Bush, on his diverted route back to the White House, flew into Barksdale AFB. The plane I'd heard and seen the shadow of was Air Force One.
The rest of the day was a blur of trying to work but finding every excuse I could to watch or at least walk by the tv near the front desk area of my office. Being obsessed with the news and waiting for any update was how I remember spending the next day as well as that weekend. When it was all said and done, Osama bin Laden took credit for all the plane hijackings and deaths that day. He was now public enemy #1.
In the days, weeks, and months following 9/11, America banded together and felt a renewed sense of pride and patriotism. We went to war (on terrorism) overseas. And many of the brave soldiers in our military who were sent to fight for our freedom, did not make it back home. Nearly ten years later, we're still over there. Some of my friends and family have husbands and brothers who are currently at or who have gone to war over the last few years. I cannot imagine the anxiety they must go through each day so I pray for their loved one's safe return.
Rachel and I had the opportunity to go to NYC (for my job). On the 5th anniversary of 9/11 and just two weeks before I got married, I might add, we were at Ground Zero as President Bush conducted a remembrance ceremony. It was an awe inspiring experience to happen to be there at the time this was going on. And then when Scotty and I went to DC last year, we visited Arlington Cemetery, one of the most hauntingly beautiful places we've ever been. It caused us both to shed tears with its beauty, the magnitude of the place itself, and the humbling feelings of gratitude it brought out in both of us.
Soldiers (and their families) past and present have given up so much to serve our country. Many times, the ultimate sacrifice has been made. The same can be said for the 9/11 victims and their families. Perhaps some of them have closure now, but I'm sure many don't. They know, too, that the war's not over. But hopefully it won't continue too much longer now that the Ringleader of Terror has been eliminated, potentially dealing a fatal blow to the terrorist groups still out there.
Our military -- not just the team who participated in this mission -- and certainly not just this president -- deserve all the accolades and thanks we can give them. Without them, our world wouldn't be as safe or as free as it is.
In other noteworthy news from this weekend and on a less serious note, my childhood crush, Prince William of Wales, married his college sweetheart Friday morning. It was a beautiful ceremony, she was gorgeous and he was handsome, and they lived happily ever after...
David Scott, I tell you all this so you'll have a sense of what things were going on in the world before you were born and while you are a small child. These events will shape the world for us, for you, and future Baby Rains.
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