As we approach the 10th anniversary of September
11, 2001 I look back on that day and remember the things that I saw and what I
felt. I often work late, sometimes into the early hours of the morning, so I'm
not an early riser and neither was my late wife Kay. However, we were awakened
by the sound of the phone ringing, and by the time I got up there was a message
light and I saw that it was my oldest daughter who had called and left a
message that said simply turn on the television. I immediately did so and saw
the images of one of the twin towers in New York City in flames.
I don't even remember which network I was
watching, but I remember listening to the commentary about a plane crashing
into the tower. Then suddenly, I watched in horror as the second plane crashed
into the other tower, and I knew instantly that this was no accident, but that
my beloved United States of America was under attack once again. I stayed glued
to the television set for virtually the next 24 hours as the tragedy continued
to unfold. I alternated between tears for those who I knew we had lost, and
anger against the then unknown assailants who had attacked us.
In the days that followed the attackers became
known and I knew that we were now at war. I was comforted by the fact that my
great country had come together. It seemed that every car, home, and apartment
displayed the American flag or some other symbol of patriotism. Both my
youngest and oldest sons were in the National Guard and had been called to
active duty. I called Army personnel headquarters and volunteered to go back on
active duty myself. This was difficult because my wife had been disabled by a
stroke, but she fully supported what I was doing and why.
The Army thanked me for volunteering, but I was
never called up since as always this was going to be a war fought by mostly
young Americans. I clearly remember the day when we invaded Afghanistan to
topple the Taliban that had provided Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda with safe
haven to prepare to attack us. Even more, I remember saying goodbye to my
oldest son Sean as he was deployed overseas and to my youngest son Tim as he
was sent to Guantánamo Bay to guard the terrorists that were being captured.
Now, 10 years later, Sean has done two tours of
duty in Iraq, two others in Afghanistan for a total of 4 years of his life in
combat. Now, he's back in Afghanistan again and Tim, who is now a Black Hawk
helicopter pilot, is preparing to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan. The Connelly
family remains totally committed to the fight for our freedom as do many other
families. However, for others it is not the case.
I remember one pundit commenting not long after
9/11 that while our military was going to war, the rest of America was going to
the mall. Unfortunately that seems to be true. Our enemies are still out there,
and they still want to destroy us, but many Americans seem to have lost the
will to fight our enemies both abroad and at home.
I recall a few days after 9/11 going to the store
for groceries and then sitting in traffic at a stoplight in Dallas. My car
window was down and the woman next to me had her radio on and the song being
played was Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA. She turned the volume of her
radio all the way up so that everyone could hear the song and even when the light
turned green nobody moved until the song was over. I think every driver that
day drove off with tears in their eyes as we thought about our country and its
greatness.
Unfortunately, as we approach September 11, 2011
we are no longer a united country. We appear to have lost our moral compass.
Many Americans no longer seem to believe in or even understand the basic facts
that have made America the greatest free nation in the world. The people who
seek to destroy us are still out there, yet it has become politically incorrect
to refer to them by name. In the meantime, our main enemy seems to be within.
The true strength of America has always been our
constitutional form of government that protects our individual liberties and
our free enterprise economic system. Now both of these are under attack not
only from radical Islam but also from people within our own country.
Politicians and members of the so-called mainstream news media are routinely
calling for us to ignore our Constitution or abolish it altogether so that we
can become more like the socialist countries in Europe and other parts of the
world where freedom is limited.
In the days after 9/11, millions of Americans
turned to our churches and synagogues to reaffirm our faith and our religious
beliefs and to ask for solace and guidance. Now, 10 years later the mayor of
New York City has prohibited any members of the clergy from participating in
the Memorial service for those lost on 9/11. At the same time an atheist group
is trying to prohibit a cross from being placed on the site of the 9/11
Memorial. At the national cemetery in Houston, Texas the families of military
veterans and those who are currently dying in Afghanistan or Iraq are being
denied the right to have religious ceremonies when they bury their dead.
I, for one, have had it. I will not forget what
happened on 9/11 and I will not forget who the enemies are that caused it to
happen. Nor will I forgive. I will also not forgive those in our own country
who would destroy our legacy, take away our freedoms, and trash our
Constitution. Even if I have to stand alone with just my sons and daughters by
my side, we will not give up. The Connelly family is in this fight to the end.
Of course, I know that we are not alone. There are
25 million military veterans in this country and their families, as well as
many others who believe in this nation and its founding principles. This
includes the obligation that those of us in the military took to defend our
Constitution against all enemies both foreign and domestic. So regardless of
what is politically correct, on September 11, 2011, I will silently bow my head
and reaffirm that oath, and I will say a prayer to the God that I believe in to
assist me in the struggle to preserve the United States of America. I encourage
my fellow Americans to do the same.
As for those of you who would destroy us, be aware
that we are your worst nightmare.
God bless America!
Michael Connelly
