Deployed commander reflects on significance of 9/11

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. James Horton
  • 716th Communications Flight Commander
Afghanistan --  Many things make everlasting marks on our lives. Dates of wedding anniversaries, birthdays, holidays and other joyous occasions are not quickly forgotten. Unfortunately, everything recorded in our history is not pleasant, many things are excruciatingly painful. As future American History text books are written, Sept. 11, 2001 will boldly stand out as a day not forgotten!
As many other Americans, I get so involved in everyday life I forget about things which are really important--but Sept. 11, 2006 was different. I found myself deployed in Afghanistan--the very country in which a few years before, Operation Enduring Freedom began. I had the privilege of attending a very timely and solemn ceremony conducted on site.
This exert from the narration from the heartfelt ceremony restored my memory of the horrific events of the day.
In four acts of brutality 3,050 people from 26 states and 84 countries lost their lives or are still unaccounted for. No age, sex, race, religion or nationality was spared. Children were orphaned, parents lost children and whole families were killed. People from all walks of life and many different backgrounds perished at the hands of terrorists aimed at destroying freedom, democracy and our way of life.
The magnitude of the staggering number of victims is enough for your heart to sink, but with all family, friends and coworkers affected by a loved one's demise is considered, it's hard to fathom. Consider these exerts:
Unlike many 11-year-olds, Bernard Curtis Brown II bounded out of his house every school day. "He lived to go to school,'' said his mother. Bernard had just bought a pair of Air Jordan basketball shoes and was wearing them on Sept. 11 on a flight to California as part of a trip sponsored by the National Geographic Society.
Robert J. Hymel was a young Air Force pilot when his B-52 was shot down by a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile during Operation Linebacker II, an 11-day offensive in December 1972. Another American pilot cut Hymel from the wreckage after the bomber crash-landed near Hanoi. He was only one of two members of the five-man crew survived. Hymel, retired in the early 1990's as a lieutenant colonel after more than 20 years in the Air Force. He was working as a management analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon when it was attacked. He was in the basement of the building and was preparing to move to a new workstation when the building was struck, his wife said. The new desk, which he was to occupy the following day, was in an area spared from destruction.
Just like many of you, I can remember where I was, what I was doing and how I felt when I heard the news. I implore each of us to remember not only the victims, those left behind, nor our feelings, but what it means to have all the freedoms and privileges we enjoy as Americans put as the target of aggression and hatred. So, it's not out of hatred nor revenge I want you to remember, but so we do not become a sleeping nation subject to vicious attacks.
In addition to this ceremony, I attended a ramp ceremony, honoring 14 of our coalition comrades from the U.K. Witnessing this first-hand is an experience hard to describe. Gazing on those flag-draped coffins and knowing it could be you or someone you know going home, immediately takes hold of you. They're going home, but they can't enjoy a warm embrace from family, nor can they enjoy hearing "Welcome Home, we've missed you!"
Take time to encourage your troops. Let them know how important they and their service are. Hug your loved ones--make every moment count! Don't let time slip away without showing those for whom you care how much they mean to you.
I leave you with one final exert to consider:
...this war against terrorism has taken its toll on United States military and the Air Force is no exception. To date, over 2605 service members, our brothers and sisters in arms have lost their lives and over 18,000 others have been injured in both Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.