My 9/11 Tribute

Here it is...5 years to the day of the attack that changed America...and the world. I reflect on this day what happened 5 years past. I remember distinctly...visiting my mother in Idaho...when my brother called her and asked her to turn on the TV. I watched in amazment as one of the towers spewed smoke and flame. Minutes later...the second plane hit. I knew this was no coincidence. The terrorists had made their move. It seemed that everyone was caught off guard. News trickled in from the media about purported planes crashing into the White House and Congress. Nether proved to be true...but it was a chaotic time. Although we now now that Flight 93 would have hit the White House had it not been crashed.

Like most Americans...I was filled with anger, vengence, sorrow and sadness. I still am. I wanted to do my part to help combat the scurge of radical Islam. Too old for the military...I joined TSA when it was formed. Though a back injury ended my TSA service...I am still proud to have been a part of the response to the attacks. In my opinion...the TSA patches we wore before DHS was created...were the best design of any honoring the Twin Towers. There were beauty incarnate...and I was one of the lucky few to have had the honor to have adorn them. Now obsolete and forgotten...replaced by the "rather ugly" DHS seal...I have a special place where I keep that old uniform shirt I have. Those 2 great TSA patches...the eagle flying out of the rubbish...it's wings reminiscent of the 2 towers. It was a design made specifically for the occasion. It carried with it the sense of pride and honor that made America what it is today.

May we never forget!