nmah5403.xml

nmah5403.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-01-12

I was at the FAA headquarters on the mall that day for a meeting. I left home after the two planes hit the Towers, so I knew this wasn't going to be a normal day. When I got to the FAA I heard and saw on the TV monitors in the FAA lobby obout the Pentagon. The FAA evacuted the building and a crowd of people gathered on the grassy lawn at the back of the building. I was impressed at the composure and sense of serious pupose that everyone had that day. A very few people seemed to be distraught and on the edge, but all around them were full of consolling words so no one lost it. Out on the lawn we could hear explosions and see smoke at the Pentagon and is seemed that more planes were coming down. We also had a view of the US Congress and I could picture the Congress blowing up just I had seen the Towers do so an hour before on TV. With reports of a number of unaccounted for planes still in the air we were all tense...not for our lives, but out of fear of seeing the symbol of our country shattered to bits. When we heard on radio about the plane going down in PA, I knew that it was targeted for the Congress. God Bless the courages people on that plane.

I am more serious. I put my life in perspective: that its survival is less important than the preservation of American Ideals and the American Nation. Truly, it is the first time that I can truly say "I would die for that...I would die for my country." I am of the Vietnam generation, and I surely could never feel I would be willing to die for my county in that war...though I always honer and respect those that did.

That evil does exist in the world and the only way to resist it is to be strong: not just militarily, but strong in values, purpose, and unified... We need to continue to improve on America so that no one can say that the American Nation benefits only some. We are one people on Earth and we need to make sure that our laws and institutions live up to that.

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes !!! The American flag was used in divisive ways on both sides during the Vietnam War. Until 9/11 I could not get over that and was not into flag displaying...that was someting the WWII generation did (and I did before Vietnam). Now we all have the flag back again. I was so moved by the spontaneous display of flags everywhere after 9/11. It kept up my spirits and symbolized our unit.