A untold tale of 9/11

I just got this in my inbox and if you know me, 3 blogs in one day is EXCESSIVE but I really really wanted to share...

This is little-known story from the Pentagon on 09/11/2001:

During a visit with a fellow chaplain, who happened to be assigned to the Pentagon, I had a chance to hear a first-hand account of an incident that happened right after Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. The chaplain told me what happened at a daycare center near where the impact occurred.  This daycare had many children, including infants who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could do. There were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants that would need to be taken out with the cribs.

There was no time to try to bundle them into carriers and strollers.  Just then a young Marine came running into the center and asked what they needed. After hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back out into the hallway and disappeared. The director thought, 'well, there we are—on our own.'

About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 other Marines in tow. Each of them grabbed a crib with a child, and the rest started gathering up toddlers. The director and her staff then helped them take all the children out of the center and down toward the park near the Potomac and the Pentagon. Once they got about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and then did a fabulous thing - they formed a circle with the cribs, which were quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the Old West. Inside this circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off.  Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the children and waiting for instructions. There they remained until the parents could be notified and come get their children..

The chaplain then said, "I don't think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It was an incredible story of our men there. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted; could we expect any less from them?  It was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon.

Remember Ronald Reagan's great compliment: "Most of us wonder if our lives made any difference.  Marines don't have that problem."

God Bless the USA ,  our troops, and you.

My thoughts on 9/11

This year, 9/11 seemed harder to get through than the past years...

For me, it was much more difficult; I don't want to be cliched and I certainly don't want to sound like some of the sterile news reporting that happened on 9/11/09.

On 9/11/01, I lived in Southern California. I was on the water polo team that used to have a mandatory morning swim (at some ridiculous hours... think 5-7 am). Every morning, we would be in the pool, with the radio on, doing sets. We only had the radio on so that we could have something to keep us distracted when we poked our heads out of the water between sets, but we never really listened to it. Around a half hour or an hour into the swim, I remember my coach stopping all of us from swimming so we could listen to the crackly radio... something about a tower in New York getting hit by an airplane. It made no sense. We all had too many questions and no answers.

The attacks did not personally affect me; that is to say, nobody in my immediate world was killed by the twin towers falling... But I was an emotional wreck.

We take safely for granted. We take freedom for granted. We take not being attacked on home turf for granted.

This event challenged my world view in many ways. As a non-citizen (read: LEGAL RESIDENT), who has lived her entire life in the United States, I would argue that I am more patriotic and more passionate about this country than some of those who have been born to your "rights" as a citizen of this incredible country. It's not just because i'm dating military. It's because the United States is still a symbol for hope and my symbol of home. [As a side note, my journey of not knowing "who" I am in the world has made me come to the conclusion that whether I am a citizen of a particular country doesn't matter, only that I pledge allegiance when appropriate.]

So, 9/11 tested my young (NAIVE) thoughts... as it did many.

I can't imagine what it was like to live through it on this side of the country. I now live in the DC area, I take the Metro from the Pentagon every day to get to work. This year on 9/11, the weather was completely crappy. It poured for the first time this year, and it seemed appropriate. I got to the Pentagon and for no apparent reason, was moved to tears. It's not something I can explain; I am dumbfounded by people who think they can terrorize others into submission... and to choose the United States?

I was also moved because I thought of all of the people who lost their lives on the day and the days following the tragic attack.

But my final thoughts as I dragged myself on the Metro was, "what have we learned in 8 years?" What will we do from here? How are we impacting the world at large?

I know that question is answered directly by my Military Mafia friends. Our Troops, our intelligence community and many others are ensuring our freedom. For the rest us civilians, what are we doing? What have we learned so we don't perpetuate hate in the world?

I urge you to think about the world you love a little more today...



my 3 things:
1) My precious puppy who makes me laugh
2) Flowers that I got from TJs
3) My Shan who is getting married, joining the Military community!