Army Wife Reflects on 9/11

Bottom Line Up Front: On the 5th anniversary of 9/11, this Army wife remembers.

Watch 9/11 live as it happened via streaming video

September 11, 2001:

On the morning of 9/11/01, my husband was an 82^nd Airborne paratrooper/jumpmaster and we were stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC. We were lucky enough to be living on post. Johnny was “in the field” doing what paratroopers do best—training for war.

The children were at school. I received a phone call from my mother-in-law around 9 am who informed me that the World Trade Center had been attacked. “Wha??” She wanted to know, “Does this mean Johnny is going to war?” I turned on the TV, saw the horror and tried to process everything, not only what this meant for my husband, my family and our military friends, but what this meant for America. It was just too soon to tell.  One thing was certain:  America was at war and we have an absolute enemy. 

The base was locked down. Hum-V’s were stationed in the Ft. Bragg neighborhoods, the children sent home from school. My husband and his unit immediately pulled from the field training and put on high alert to do….. whatever was needed. The rest of the day was a blur, but the solemn understanding by every soldier and their families that they would have some part to play in the response had an unmistakable tangible attribute. 

September 11, 2006

After taking my 14 year old son to school, decked out in his military uniform for his JROTC memorial presentation in remembrance of the 5^th anniversary of 9/11, I drove back on to the Basic Training post where we live. With Ray Charles on the radio singing “America the Beautiful, I passed formation after formation of young recruits, enlisting in the Army to fight this war on terror. Thousands of soldiers in training come to this post every week, and thousands graduate as bona fide soldiers every week. This is a remarkable thing, to see so many young Americans volunteer to fight for their country in a time of war. This is what makes America great: She has young, brave and dedicated patriots who hear the call and answer it overwhelming, so the rest of Americans can go about their daily lives. 

Afterthoughts:

One of the most striking contrasts between 2001 and 2006 is how Americans have distanced themselves from love of country. Watch some old 2001 footage of the aftermath of 9/11 and you’ll see American flags everywhere, shouts of “God bless America!” and “USA! USA!” Now, with 9/11/01 far enough in the rear view mirror, the moral, political and ideological liberals among us have reverted to being themselves again. Instead of banding together and defeating this clear enemy of America, they prefer to band together to defeat a President whom they hate for political and moral reasons. Liberal Democrats have sided with Ameirca’s enemy time and time again for the past 4 years and brought division to America. If this is their example of handling a national crisis, we can only thank God they were not in power in 2001. Their response has been disgusting and deserves a firm rebuke. Sadly, liberals have become part of the enemy America must fight in the war on terror.

What are your memories of 9/11?  Where were you and what were you doing?

Stop the ACLU posted this great 9/11 tribute. It is well worth watching.

OTHERS BLOGGING:
Michelle Malkin  California Conservative  Gateway Pundit  Sister Toldjah  Gina Cobb AubreyJ  Blue Star Chronicles 

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Update on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 07:05AM by Amy Proctor

Amy from New Zealand has a great 9/11 post. 

Comments

[Johnny]

2nd Brigade was on alert to possibly conduct a parachute assault on Kandahar Airfield (we learned this much later) but the Northern Alliance moved so swiftly, our mission was shelved. Those were precarious days right after 9/11 and we were in Iraq by March '03. It is stupid and politically sleazy to try to separate Iraq from the GWOT. Both Bin Laden and the Iraqi PM Nouri al Maliki have stated that Iraq is the central front in the war. Don't tell that to Howard Dean.

[AubreyJ]

Amy...
Nice post on this tragic day in our history.
I got my flag out...
I know you do too......

In memory of... all of those that lost their lives on that tragic day.

AubreyJ.........

[S]

We were living in Nevada at the time, so with the time distance, I was actually unaware of the attack. I check my email in the morning though and there was an unsigned, un-punctuated one line from my sister who worked at the NYPD along with her husband (they are forensic scientists) and all it said was 'do you know where mom is (she was flying from Boston that day to Califonia).I tried to call my sister but of course, you couldn't get a call into the NYPD.

So when I turned on the TV I saw the second tower fall...I figured my sister and brother-in-law were safe because she had sent me the email and the crime lab is not in Manhattan. My mom turned out to be on a layover in St. Louis on her way from Boston...

That's what I remember most. That and a few days later, standing in a grocery store and my oldest at the time who was four year asking me why a plane was crashing into that building (he was looking at a magazine cover).

Sad for the loss of life, worried for the world children are inheriting,
S

[Tim]

I've been ridiculed up here on campus at Bethany for my prayers, but I don't care. I pray that all the terrorists are killed. Period. Why? Not out of vengeance I assure you. (Though its hard.) I don't want anyone going through that again.

[bet]

It was a bright and clear day. I remember it vividly. I had just had a great workout at Pope Airforce base connected to Fort Bragg. As I walked to my car from the gym I recall marvelling at what a spectacular day it was. When I walked into our apartment the phone was ringing, my Dad was calling and telling me to put the news on. We were trying to figure out how a plane could have flown into the building when the second one hit. Then we KNEW it was terrorists. I called my husband, I think he was still with the DMOC, they hadn't heard yet. He went to turn on the news at the unit. We traveled to South Bend (go Irish) by plane this past weekend, and I'll tell you, as I was waiting in line, I was so ANGRY all over again at these radical fundamentalist terrorists. Now you can't even carry on TOOTHPASTE. Shaking head, I'm telling you, I hope I never run into a terrorist. 1. my shoe comes off and they will be hit upside the head with it. 2. they will most definitly see the bottom of my foot. 3. Pork dinners will be served to all!

[Silke]

On September 11, 2001 I was in the car taking my older son to Kindergarten when I heard on the radio that a plane had struck the WTC. We were stationed at Ft. Hood at the time. I went home, turned on the TV and watched in horror as the rest of the day’s events unfolded. Although we lived off post, almost everyone on our street was a military family. We all knew what this meant - our spouses were going to war.

Now, five years and two deployments to Iraq later, I still think about that awful day. This is not a war that will be fought and won in a few years – it’s a generational war that will be fought on many fronts.

Amy, I agree with you that we need to defeat this enemy but I strongly disagree that “liberals have become part of the enemy America must fight in the war on terror.” This fight against radical fundamentalists is too important for you to include people with whom you disagree politically. As a fellow Army wife who has voted for President Bush twice, I do not consider liberals the enemy.

[Johnny]

Well, Silke, Amy has provided superabundant evidence that UBL, Ahmedinajad, Al Zarqawi (BiH), Al Jazeera columnists and the democrats are ALL USING THE SAME TALKING POINTS. That should concern any American serious about winning the GWOT. The democrats are VERY concerned about 'domestic spying' Hah! You won't hear these treasonists using THAT phrase this week!

[Silke]

Johnny, when you are fighting the kind of war we are fighting now you need to be very careful about defining who the “enemy” is. If Amy wants to spend her time demonizing the left, that’s her prerogative. But as a United States Army soldier I’m surprised that you seem unable to distinguish political dissent from a true enemy. I certainly don’t agree with what the Democrats are saying about the war but I find this kind of partisan rhetoric equally distasteful.

[Johnny]

Well, Silke, this is a blog, and I can say this because I believe it as a private citizen. Like your husband, I served many years under a democratic president and I served loyally. But I am also a citizen, not just a Soldier, and as a citizen I see the partisan demigoguery by the leadership of the democratic party as patently dangerous. We have all seen this movie before when LT John Kerry fabricated horror stories against our own troops emboldening the Viet Cong and giving them talking points to use against our POWs who were even then being tortured. Now the same crowd is back with the same dangerous rhetoric producing the same disatrous results, with one key difference: the Viet Cong never attacked us on our own soil. The terrorists have and are continuing to plot. I respectfully disagree with your position and I stand by my position that many democrats are aiding and abetting the enemies of these United States.

[Dim Bulb]

"One of the most striking contrasts between 2001 and 2006 is how Americans have distanced themsleves from love of country."

A Revolutionary War buff this very thought caused me to post excerpts from Thomas Paine's AMERICAN CRISIS: Essay 1. This is the work which General Washington had read to his troops at Valley Forge in an attempt to keep some of his soldiers from deserting and others whose enlistments were up to re-enlist.

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands now, deszerves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem lightly: 'tis dearness only that gives everything its value.' Heaven knows how to put a proper price on its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated..."

"For though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire..."

"That heart that feels not now, is dead; the blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds thoshrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."

http://4-watts-of-light.blogspot.com/2006/09/911-in-memoriam-these-are-times-that.html

[Leticia]

I was working in a factory listening to the radio when I heard the news and I was in utter and complete shock. I broke down. Unfortunately the people that I worked with had no clue what the WTC was or what the Pentagon was. Needless to say, I had to explain.

Later on the same day, my 2nd pregnancy was confirmed. It was a joyous day and the saddest day.

We must never forget and be thankful we have a President who was strong and was ready to defend this ungrateful nation.

[bet]

Dim Bulb I enjoyed your post. In part I think it relfects a lost society. What we have today for the most part is a SELFISH society. MOST today don't have the "love for country" the "selfless service" that one saw, heck even in the WWII era. Today we see a large group of self centered what can the country literally "give" to me slice of society as opposed to those who ask what they can "do" for their country. Why I wonder? Could it be that so many generations have now been born and raised here that the appreciation of what we have, of what long ago immigrants worked hard for is now lost? Are our freedoms taken for granted, abused even, mocked? It seems sometimes that new immigrants appreciate the USA more than some of those born and raised here.

[Mwalimu Daudi]

I was living overseas in Tanzania (an eastern African country) and saw one of the local newspaper headlines while riding a bus to town. The headline read TANZIA: MAREKANI, which is Swahili for "Obituary: America". Tanzania is a country with a large Muslim population (about 30%, although accurate figures are hard to come by), with most living along the Indian Ocean coast and the two islands Zanzabar and Pembe.

I never felt in any danger whatsoever from the Tanzanians (either Muslim or Christian). But once I had an encounter with some white Europeans at a local tourist trap who decided (after downing quite a bit of liquid courage) to mock Americans and ask me (quite loudly) "Are you an American?". By responding to them only in Swahili I think it amused them enough to leave me alone (if indeed they were looking for trouble, which I think they were but I am not sure). They laughed at my responses, anyway. At any rate, nothing came of the incident.

[Aimz]

Tim, you keep up those prayers, as Christians we are called to be different - a light in a dark world, remember Daniel? He too was persecuted for praying and God redeemed him. Amy P, awesome post, it's good to read other peoples perspectives on 9/11. My sister was actually living in NY at the time with her American husband and because she was working in a building near the trade centre she saw the whole thing, people jumping out of buildings everything, I think that was the main reason why they came back here to nz.

[Amy Proctor]

I've been offline for 24 hours due to a construction snafu (they cut our wires). I'll comment later.

[Amy Proctor]

Gayle asked me to post her comments since Squarespace's overactive spam zapper is at work again. Here it is:

**************************
"Amy, this is a wonderfully written post. Thank you.

I was in the kitchen washing dishes when my husband turned on the television set. The first tower had just been hit and smoke was pouring out of the top of it. We watched as the second plane hit and we both thought at first that it was a movie... but not for long. When the reality of it was realized we were both horrified. We haven't forgotten; we're still horrified, and a new and larger flag is flying on our flagpole that was put up on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11.

To anyone who thinks the current crop of Democratic leaders are not a threat, may I suggest they read the Democrat's letter: "Progressive Promise: Fairness to All." Here's the link:
http://bernie.house.gov/documents/Progressive_caucus_AllinOne.pdf

Another link for it can be found here:
http://myrepublicanblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/democrats-and-their-so-called-agenda.html

[Gawfer]

Well said Amy. I posted yesterday of an experience I had the following Saturday after 9/11/01 at a Promise Keeper's event in California.

Without going into a lot of detail, a spirit of unity was so obvious, it was, as you said tangible. I provided a link below, and as my writing skills are elementary, it will be an easy read for most.

Again, nicely written.

http://gawfer2001.blogspot.com/2006/09/i-would-like-to-share-story-with-you.html

[Amy P]

"Amy, I agree with you that we need to defeat this enemy but I strongly disagree that “liberals have become part of the enemy America must fight in the war on terror.” This fight against radical fundamentalists is too important for you to include people with whom you disagree politically. As a fellow Army wife who has voted for President Bush twice, I do not consider liberals the enemy."


Silke, I understand your position but 100% disagree. It is liberals who have defended the "rights" of terrorists, who have fought the NSA program (which again benefits terrorists), who opposed the taking down of Saddam (a rather bad terrorist in his own right), who uncovered and exposed terrorist tracking programs (giving terrorists a heads up), who relished in killing the Patriot Act, and who tout US shortcomings in Iraq and never praise US victories. I am not referring to liberals as politicians, although it includes them, but to all who hold to liberal ideology.

It is liberals who screw up military operations. *See Abu Ghraib for details* It is liberals who echo the same exact sentiments as our sworn enemies like Osama Bin Laden, al-Zarqawi (rest in hell)... it is liberals like Madeline Albright who sympathize with N. Korean murdered Kim Jung Il, the Vietcong of Vietnam War fame, and Iranian whacky Presidents like Mike Wallace.

I don't know, when liberals continually side with the terrorists and make America less safe (and they do for the reasons I sited and more), what would YOU call them? It is liberals who say 9/11 was an inside job and that the President is the worlds' biggest terrorist. Oh, our enemies LOVE that. Check out al-Jazeera or an Osama bin Laden speech if you don't believe it. It is liberals who want the US out of Iraq, which will plunge the Middle East into utter chaos and untold murderous rampages. It is liberals who defend a president who let Osama bin Laden go because "it was just sex" and slam a president who is trying to free millions of people and actually DO somethign about terrorism.

I have outlined countless times on this blog how liberals recite word for word what terrorists say (or vice versa). Draw your own conclusions.

When someone is willing to use America lives for whatever purposes, they are terrorists. Whether its flying a plane into a building or making it easy for al-Qaeda to attack again, it is all terrorism. By American standards, to you think the crimes at Abu Ghraib (and no, not the decades of crimes at Abu Ghraib committed by Saddam and his homies) were acts of terrorism? I do. And they were NOT committed by god-fearing conservatives.

[Silke]

Amy said: “By American standards, do you think the crimes at Abu Ghraib (and no, not the decades of crimes at Abu Ghraib committed by Saddam and his homies) were acts of terrorism? I do. And they were NOT committed by god-fearing conservatives.”

Amy, do you honestly think liberals condone what happened at Abu Ghraib? For you to lump these sick and twisted individuals in with all liberals is just nonsense. I really have no idea what their (the convicted soldiers from Abu Ghraib) political affiliations are, but as for the “god-fearing” part…

Charles Graner, who was considered the ringleader at Abu Ghraib, described himself as a Christian, and part of the defense at his trial was that he handed out Bibles to Iraqis.

“He said that he asked Graner, a Pennsylvania prison guard in civilian life, about the photographs. Graner replied: "The Christian in me says it's wrong, but the corrections officer in me says, 'I love to make a grown man piss himself.' "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46523-2004May21.html

“At Graner’s January courtmartial trial Army Sgt. Kenneth A. Davis—who described Specialist Graner as a “faithful” soldier who helped hand out Bibles to Iraqis…”
http://www.washington-report.org/archives/March_2005/0503028.html

Of course it’s preposterous to call Graner a Christian. It is equally outrageous to call him a liberal…or a conservative for that matter.

[Aimz]

Thanks for the link Amy :-)

[Mavic]

...But Silke, you forget that in your beloved America, everything falls into perfectly shaped pigeon holes. Dealing in black and white terms is an easy out, from having to deal with the all the subtleties of humanity. Its much easier to come to profound conclusions when one reflects in this method. Mathematically if you look at a proof without addressing all of its possible technical gliches, the result maybe easier and faster to derive but the proof ends up being faulty. In the same manner, addressing societal, political and philosophical issues in black and white terms, essentially leads to similar faulty conclusions.

[Amy Proctor]

Silke, I'm not saying liberals condone what happened at Abu Ghraib, that would be stupid; I'm saying they pulled it off. By that I mean (not referring to politicians but moral and ideological liberalism) immoral people committed those crimes.

That's nice that Charles Graner called himself a Christian, but clearly his actions speak louder than his words. People try to use the "Hitler was a Catholic" line on me.

[Tim]

You're right Mavic, we should all be grey people, moral relativists like you Canadians. Its worked wonders for that third-world iceberg.

[Silke]

Amy said: “That's nice that Charles Graner called himself a Christian, but clearly his actions speak louder than his words.”

So a self-described Christian who commits an immoral act NOT condoned by liberals is by definition a liberal? Talk about Orwellian logic.

Amy the fact that you consider the word “liberal” interchangeable with evil or immoral renders your use of that word virtually meaningless. It’s unfortunate because I do think there are some legitimate criticisms of the Democrats and the liberal perspective. However your view with respect to what happened at Abu Ghraib is so skewed it makes your argument look irrational and unreasonable.

[Mavic]

"you're with us or against us".........

now thats the type of speech that is certain to cure third world "ice bergs". The crux of democracy, diplomacy and freedom all summed up in that phrase. mmmmm I love it.

lol

[Mavic]

Silke,

Nuances are an after thought here...trust me :)

[Mavic]

Tim,

Again, what exactly is this "third world iceberg" and how is your beloved America contributing? I am curious, since this is such a philosophically deep statement. "Third world ice-berg" sure does sound profound doesn't it? I'll have to try that term whenever I want to sound really cool in a blog entry.

[Amy Proctor]

Silke,

Wow, your true colors are showing.

You said, "So a self-described Christian who commits an immoral act NOT condoned by liberals is by definition a liberal? Talk about Orwellian logic."

Since when is knocking up a woman you're not married to and roughing up thugs NOT a symptom of liberalism? Those aren't exactly in the 10 Commandments. Perhaps you haven't figured it out yet but there is NOTHING liberals condone about Iraq.

[Silke]

Amy said: “Since when is knocking up a woman you're not married to and roughing up thugs NOT a symptom of liberalism?”

Once again Amy you are confusing political ideology with immoral behavior. You’ve constructed a convenient tautology: liberals do immoral things; therefore anyone who does something immoral must be a liberal. I know I’m stating the obvious here, but people throughout the political spectrum do evil and immoral things. Labeling the people responsible for Abu Ghraib “liberals” is just nonsense.

Amy said: “Perhaps you haven’t figured it out yet but there is NOTHING liberals condone about Iraq.”

I have some concerns about Iraq too but I hate the fact that both sides (Republicans and Democrats) demonize each other over this war.

[Amy Proctor]

Silke, I'm not talking about politics, I'm talking about morality and ideology.

[Silke]

Come on Amy, when people hear the word “liberal” they usually understand it to mean in the political context. If the message of your post is that immoral people are immoral, what’s the point? You’ve essentially rendered the word meaningless.

[Amy Proctor]

Silke, I've repeatedly reiterated that I am describing moral and ideological liberals, not confined to politicial liberals. I say "not confined to" because many immoral people are not interested in politics but the moral and ideological liberality is a shoe that fits most political liberals. I'm giving Democrats in general an out here in case they wish to distance themselves from the left-wing weirdos.

At any rate, the shoe fits the political context as well, but I make the distinction that liberal ideology is certainly not limited to a political context.

Liberals, political and otherwise, do not condone Charles Graner's behahvior at Abu Ghraib not because they oppose the sexual immorality or the military insubordination.... to the contrary, we know how they feel about sex ("it's just sex", abortion, homosexuality, fornication, giving condoms to kids in school...) (we know how the liberal left feels about the military and conscientious objectors).... they oppose Charles Graner because he HURT SOME TERRORISTS. Keeping in mind these terrorists hurt our soldiers and innocent civilians, but to them that's fully beside the point.

[Silke]

Just when I think this conversation can’t get any more ridiculous…it does. So now you are saying liberals don’t condone what happened at Abu Ghraib not because it was WRONG but because of who it happened to. By that same “logic” (and in this case I use the term loosely), since Charles Graner is a liberal he shouldn’t have committed the crimes in the first place – right?

Amy, I don’t deny there are some real wackos on both sides out there, but they certainly don’t represent the vast majority of decent and honest people who just happen to differ with you politically and philosophically.

[Amy Proctor]

Silke, you got it. That's what I'm saying.

I think you find that premise offensive because you are a moderate to liberal yourself. You are one of the exceptions, one of the good moderates/liberals. There are not many like that.

[Silke]

Amy, I guess you didn’t realize the contradiction I was trying to point out. If Graner were actually a true liberal he would not have abused the terrorists in the first place. How do you account for this?

[Amy Proctor]

Silke, no, I got that. True liberals are not limited to political liberals.

To imply that liberals are all peaceful or pacifists is a grave misrepresentation. Many liberals are quite militant. Feminists, pro-choicers, anti-war zealots are all liberals and I could give many examples of how violence is an underlying element of these causes, as well as a tangible result of.

It is the Christian principle of loving our enemies that liberals (political liberals) are exploiting. Loving and enabling are two different issues.

Gotta run...

[Silke]

Amy, you’ve essentially turned the word “liberal” into a pointless epithet that means “anything I don’t like.”

PS I’m still wondering if you’re going to update your post on “Iraq and the War on Terror.” Based on the findings from the Senate Select Committee’s report, several of your statements were either not true or highly misleading.

[Amy Proctor]

Silke, that simply isn't true. Look at the basic platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties to get an idea of absolute ideologies that are very different. There are more nominal Democrats than Republicans because Republicans are led by conviction... there's an entire MTV/Hurricane Katrina generation that isn't in tuned with the political issues, but are in tuned with the moral overtones. Check the Clinton years to get an idea of what I'm talking about. I'm not as immature as you proport. It isn't a matter of "anything I don't like" but genuine moral and ideological differences.


I have no plans to change my previous entry. I stand by it and disagree that it is misleading. I have not had the time to go over the report. I'll try to get to it. I totally disagree that my statements are untrue.

[Silke]

Amy said: “I totally disagree that my statement are untrue.”

1. You implied Zarqawi received sanctuary in Iraq after he was wounded in Afghanistan when in fact Saddam Hussein had no knowledge of his presence in Iraq and actually wanted to capture him. (p. 109 of the Senate report)

2. You stated Saddam Hussein offered Osama bin Laden asylum in Iraq when in fact Saddam Hussein distrusted bin Laden and issued a general order not to deal with al-Qa’ida. (p. 105 of the Senate report)

3. The Fox News story you cited merely speculated about the origin of the “how-to manuals.” It did not state that Iraq had supplied these manuals.

[fifilaroach]

We looked far and wide for a flag in the days after 9/11 and they were all sold out. You're right, its not like that today!

[Amy P]

Yeah,the hippies and the Democrats have been burnign all the extra American flags. They're funny that way.