Reflections of 9/11

I know a lot of people have written or talked about what they were doing or how they felt 12 years ago when a handful of angry men fly airplanes into buildings and killed several thousands of innocent people. I have read some people's social media posts where they want to use the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to attack religion, or to promote conspiracy theories, or they decide to speak out about their indifference since it "didn't effect them".

Well, here's my 9/11 story. It was my first year at the University of Louisville. I had walked into my Campus Culture class (one of those bullshit classes they require freshmen to take to learn how to write paper). As class was getting ready to start one of the guys that was in ROTC came in and said a plane had hit the World Trade Center. There was little reaction at first. My first thought was one of those small private planes had hit a floor of the tower; things like that had happened before. It was sad, but we went about class.

By the time we got out of class, the second plane had hit. I listened to Rick Dees--the usually happy go lucky DJ--on the verge of tears on my ride home as the first tower fell. I got home and turned on the TV in time to see the second tower fall. we knew this was no accident.

I called my mom, numb from what I saw on TV. "I want to enlist." I told her through tears. " I want to make whoever did this pay."

She calmed me down. Talked me out of it. And even though I never fired a shot in anger or set foot on hostile soil, I thank God for the men and women who have. Though I may not agree with the politics, and some of them I know don't, they serve with honor. And I am grateful for them all.

Even though 9/11 didn't effect me directly, it has been an impact on my life. It has shown me the evil people are capable of, but also the good as well. So, not just on this day but every day thank a soldier, a cop, EMT, firefighter, or anyone who daily puts their life on the line for the ideals this country was built upon.

(cue the bold eagle and fireworks)

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