Tenth anniversary

I know that I cannot do this topic justice. However, I feel that not saying anything is ignoring the elephant in the room. The fact is, 10 years ago something horrible happened. An act of war in our country. And I personally feel that too much of America has forgotten that. Has forgotten that feeling of terror and the patriotism that spawned from it. Too many of us (myself included) take our freedom for granted sometimes, and forget that there are people out there fighting for us. My husband wakes up and puts on a uniform every morning and while he is currently non-deployable, what he is doing matters and I am grateful for him and every other Servicemember out there.

During my time in the Air Force, I met some people that had been to Iraq and Afghanistan upwards of 5 times. I met people that had children almost a year old they had never met. People that had been married 5 years that had been apart far more than they had been together. Compared to them, my sacrifices were small. Four months in Baghdad seems like nothing when put in proper perspective. Some days, like today, I wish I had done more. Could do more. But then I remember that right now, my job is raising Jade. Raising a child to love our country like I do, to not take her freedom for granted, and to appreciate the sacrifices others have made and are making on her behalf.

I remember exactly where I was 10 years ago. I was a senior in high school and my class was in the computer lab that day. It was first period. The rest of the day, we did nothing but watch the news and talk about what was happening. Cross country practice felt empty because all the Army dependents were missing. It was taking hours to get on Post, so they were excused from all after-school activities. My boyfriend had just graduated from Basic Military Training and had moved on to his tech school and I was worried about him, not knowing if or when they would deploy him.

Chuck, whom I was several years from meeting (which is good considering I was in high school and he was already an officer!) was deployed to Turkey at the time. I cannot imagine the feelings rushing through him and everyone he was with as they learned of the attacks.

So, today, just take a minute. A minute to remember. The people that lost family members that day deserve us remembering their sacrifices. Recognizing that since that day, their lives have not been the same. That while many of us have moved on and our daily lives look no different, their daily lives will always be different than they were before that day. Say a prayer for those families. And thank God that you live in America.