September 11, 2001…not forgetting…a day that will live in infamy. Now, having said that, I must admit I wonder if that memory is true. The group “SEAL of Honor” made a Facebook post with that image, the link is below, and a caption asking us all to remember. With approximately three thousand humans killed in the World Trade Center towers and the hijacked commercial jets, and then going further, all the military lives lost, damaged and still at risk today, it seems like we are forgetting that day, that moment, that man.
https://www.facebook.com/search/posts/?q=seal%20of%20honor&epa=SERP_TAB
Among the persons responding to the post was at least one that suggested that the persons responsible for the post should show respect for the family of the pictured man. As if they did not. Recall who made the post!
My response to that person, with all due respect, was to say that the nature of the current dialogue in America suggests to me that we have, or are in the process of forgetting 9/11. Not the day, not the date. No, I mean the women, men, children, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Air Force personnel…and their families. Further, there were the many members of various U.S. Government agencies that were tied to the military mission in Afghanistan that left the comfort of their homes or other locations and traveled to that country to serve and support our response to a vicious attack. That includes me. Each and every day, that mans image was burned into my mind as I breathed the dusty and dirty air, challenged my nerves when faced with threats or risk. With every assignment I was given, I knew for whom I acted, you, them, him, my family and my country. I was not unique in these matters. Many served, many did not return home, many returned home with an injury(s)…some of which carry on today and will continue beyond.
I remember, my friends remember…my heart pains from memory of those who lost as this man did, the others, and their families. Please keep him and them in your mind and thoughts.