story8165.xml
Title
story8165.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-27
911DA Story: Story
The Red, White, and Blue Will Forever Fly Strong
Even though I still set the alarm to go off at 5:30 in the morning I was unable to get out of bed because of an "argument" with a logging truck that wanted to use my side of the road a week earlier to the day at 9:05 in the morning. Needless to say I lost that "battle" but not the one in court.
After about 15 minutes of lying there glued to every word that was being said on the radio, I suddenly remembered that I have a TV and turned it on. It was right before the second plane hit. Like many Americans watching the horror unfold that day I was shocked. I was in a daze. This wasn't happening! This couldn?t be happening! No one in their right mind would attack us! I had to ask myself, "Was the accident a week earlier an omen? Was I getting premonitions like my Dad did?"
As I laid there and watched the tragedy play out in vivid color I thought about how a ?terrorist? had turned my world upside down and brought it to a screeching halt a week earlier. Then I thought, if Osama bin Laden was after the same effect then he did one hell of a job. He had succeeded in bringing the mightiest country in the world to its knees. He had succeeded in bringing our ?prefect? world to a screeching halt. He knocked the wind out of us. He hit below the belt. But it wasn?t for long.
For me the ?event? also had one, and only one, good point. It brought the country together. There was no more every shade of the rainbow. There were only three colors. Red. White. And blue. We were one people. We were one unity. Everyone pulling together for one great cause. To show the world that no matter what, ?WE SHALL OVERCOME!?
Like everyone else in the United States I wanted to go to New York and help. But how? By plane? I don?t think so. Cross country? Maybe if a few people got together. Patriotism swelled in out hearts. I sat and practiced ?The Battle Hymn of the Republic? ?America? and other patriotic songs on the piano.
Now I knew just how my parents and grandparents felt that fateful day 60 some odd years ago. And just like back then, it brought us all together. We formed a greater nation of one people. And just like they were back then I was angry. I wanted revenge. I wanted to kick some ass and take some names. I was totally behind any retaliation and even thought about rejoining the Armed Forces if they took people my age. I took pride in the fact that a lot of young people felt the same way and joined the Armed Services. But at the same time it brought back memories of how I felt during the Vietnam ?War?. To this day I still can?t bring myself to watch a war movie.
Its been a year now, a very fast year, and both events in my life are still burning bright in my memory. As usual the world has backed off a little and left us to ?police? the world and its ?gangs? of bad guys once again. Now we?re after Iraq once again to let us in their country to check for nuclear weapons and once again the world doesn?t want to get involved. All I can say is, ?THANK GOD I?M AN AMERICAN AND LIVING IN THE BEST DAMN COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!?
Gary Finlason Gaston, OR
Even though I still set the alarm to go off at 5:30 in the morning I was unable to get out of bed because of an "argument" with a logging truck that wanted to use my side of the road a week earlier to the day at 9:05 in the morning. Needless to say I lost that "battle" but not the one in court.
After about 15 minutes of lying there glued to every word that was being said on the radio, I suddenly remembered that I have a TV and turned it on. It was right before the second plane hit. Like many Americans watching the horror unfold that day I was shocked. I was in a daze. This wasn't happening! This couldn?t be happening! No one in their right mind would attack us! I had to ask myself, "Was the accident a week earlier an omen? Was I getting premonitions like my Dad did?"
As I laid there and watched the tragedy play out in vivid color I thought about how a ?terrorist? had turned my world upside down and brought it to a screeching halt a week earlier. Then I thought, if Osama bin Laden was after the same effect then he did one hell of a job. He had succeeded in bringing the mightiest country in the world to its knees. He had succeeded in bringing our ?prefect? world to a screeching halt. He knocked the wind out of us. He hit below the belt. But it wasn?t for long.
For me the ?event? also had one, and only one, good point. It brought the country together. There was no more every shade of the rainbow. There were only three colors. Red. White. And blue. We were one people. We were one unity. Everyone pulling together for one great cause. To show the world that no matter what, ?WE SHALL OVERCOME!?
Like everyone else in the United States I wanted to go to New York and help. But how? By plane? I don?t think so. Cross country? Maybe if a few people got together. Patriotism swelled in out hearts. I sat and practiced ?The Battle Hymn of the Republic? ?America? and other patriotic songs on the piano.
Now I knew just how my parents and grandparents felt that fateful day 60 some odd years ago. And just like back then, it brought us all together. We formed a greater nation of one people. And just like they were back then I was angry. I wanted revenge. I wanted to kick some ass and take some names. I was totally behind any retaliation and even thought about rejoining the Armed Forces if they took people my age. I took pride in the fact that a lot of young people felt the same way and joined the Armed Services. But at the same time it brought back memories of how I felt during the Vietnam ?War?. To this day I still can?t bring myself to watch a war movie.
Its been a year now, a very fast year, and both events in my life are still burning bright in my memory. As usual the world has backed off a little and left us to ?police? the world and its ?gangs? of bad guys once again. Now we?re after Iraq once again to let us in their country to check for nuclear weapons and once again the world doesn?t want to get involved. All I can say is, ?THANK GOD I?M AN AMERICAN AND LIVING IN THE BEST DAMN COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!?
Gary Finlason Gaston, OR
Collection
Citation
“story8165.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 22, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/18418.