9/11/01- The perspective in retrospect

I spent a lot of time thinking about this post yesterday. I thought about what to write, I relived those moments a few dozen times, I thought about how things have changed. Each year, my feelings are just a little bit different than the year prior. The anger remains, but the apathy is different. I feel like every year, I've been able to see a different sympathetic perspective.

A few years ago, a group of friends and I went to tour the FDNY. We were all studying in the Fire Science program at U of New Haven. This experience was truly a brand new perspective. We met with firefighters who lost 343 brothers that day. We saw their memorials, we even saw their tears. These men were fighting their own war here on our soil.

Mural at Engine 55

Mural at Engine 7

Accumulation of patches at St. Patrick's Cathedral

10 Truck en route passing Ground Zero

This experience opened my eyes to the struggles that ARE STILL HAPPENING. As the war in the Middle East continues to progress (despite what the media may coerce us to all believe), the families effected here, not only on the military side, continue to face difficulties.

343 Firefighters

23 NYPD officers

37 Port Authority Officers

2359 Civilians

184 People at the Pentagon

246 Passengers on the 4 planes

More than 3000 families lost a Mom or a Dad. A brother or a sister. An Aunt or Uncle. A daughter or a son.

3000 Families.

It amazes me that the days following September 11th, 2001 were some of the most patriotic, proud, somber and humbling in our nation's history.

Where has that gone?

As this nation continues to fight for our own freedom, where has that sense of pride gone? Where have all of the flags gone? The memorials? The patriotic music?
Now it is eclipsed by anti-war sentiments. By protesters. By people BUILDING MOSQUES ON GROUND ZERO. It's been surpassed by financial deficits.

If this picture isn't enough to make you angry, than this one should be.

God Bless America.

God Bless all that fight for her, both here and there.

And to all others- to those who cannot find it in your FREE hearts to support your nation,

If you cannot stand BEHIND our SOLDIERS, FIREFIGHTERS, or POLICE OFFICERS, feel free to STAND IN FRONT OF THEM!