09/11/2022
September 11th, 2001, a day indelibly etched on the fabric of America. The truth is that I don’t just think about 9/11 on its anniversary; I think about 9/11 every day. That attack, and the years that followed, forged me into the leader, the tactician, the husband, the father, and the writer I am today. I study the events that led up to that Tuesday morning, and the actions we took in its wake - the mistakes we made, along with the successes, many of which have not, and might not ever, see the light of day.
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I think of all those who stepped up in the aftermath of the attacks, running to Ground Zero to offer assistance, and I think of those who flooded military recruiting offices to answer their generation’s call. I think of those who gave their last full measure on the battlefield, those I knew and those I did not.
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What have we learned in the years since that fateful day? Twenty-one years later, do we have a better understanding of the nature of the conflict to which we committed and sacrificed so much? It is essential that we study, that we learn and that we translate the lessons of 9/11 and the decades that followed into wisdom. That is what we owe those we send into harm’s way; it is what we owe their families and the nation.
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Why do I find myself drawn to this barn with the American Flag in a small valley against the mountains in the days around the anniversary of September 11th? I think it is because, on this day, I choose to reflect on the flags raised from the ashes of 9/11. Today, more than any other for the generation that lived it, is a day to remember why we fought, what we stand for, and how, no matter what, as Americans, we always get back up and keep moving forward.
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Strength and Honor.
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