Eight years ago this great country of ours came under attack and like most of us I still can't totally believe what happened on that beautiful fall morning. The enormous amount of innocent lives lost, and for the survivors, the lost feeling of ever being safe here at home again. These cowards delivered a sucker punch that left us still reeling all these years later but they didn't win. We haven't forgotten and we never will. But for most of us we've brushed ourselves off and got on with our lives.
At least as well as we could.
I remember how quiet it was in the skies for days after the attacks when all flights were grounded. Our skies are now once again filled. I can recall many instances of hearing about letters being delivered with a suspicious powdered material on them. You don't hear of this much anymore. And security measures which were once so strict you almost loathed going to an airport are now less critical than they once were. We're getting on with our lives alright, but I hope we don't get too comfortable in doing so.
Don't get me wrong. These maggots would have won if we were still shaking uncontrollably and biting our finger nails and I'm glad we're not. But these groups who hate us so bad haven't left their drawing boards for a minute. And they could set our world on its ear in an instant if we give them the chance. We have to enjoy life but with a bit of vigilance. We need to make certain that events like this don't happen again in our lifetime nor our children's.
Everyone everywhere knows what they were doing at that moment in their lives. Just like the generation before me knows what they were doing when JFK was killed, and the generation before that when Pearl Harbor was bombed. These things were unfathomable, and especially hard to believe that it could happen right here on U.S. soil. But they did happen here, and it just goes to show that even the largest of super powers can have a chink in its armour that could bring it to its knees. All of us are key components that make up the armour of this great nation. Young and old, serviceman and civilian alike, we all have a part in keeping ourselves safe from monsters who threaten the sanctity of a free world.
Below you'll find a collection of pictures taken on my family's last trip to New York city. The 9/11 museum came highly suggested by a family member of mine who had visited the city shortly before us. Back in 2001 we all knew how big of a disaster that day was when we watched the events unfold on our tv screens. But for me it wasn't until I saw ground zero and got to view all of the items collected from the site that I truly realized the magnitude of that tragedy. It was much larger than I ever imagined and very overwhelming to say the least. You couldn't help but have mood swings from utter sadness to bitter anger. I was warned that the exhibit left not one dry eye but thought that I'd be different. I was wrong.
A portion of one of the planes that hit the WTC.
An SCBA bottle from one of the New York firefighters.
What's left of an FDNY turn out coat.
Tools recovered. Notice the pistols literally fused to one another.
A steel column from One WTC.
Ladder/Engine Co. 10 located directly across the street from ground zero.
The bronze memorial wall on the side of 10 House.
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