9/11

Emmy/Easton,

Long lag between posts, life got busy. I wanted to note my feelings on the anniversary of 9/11, getting to that right now. First, you should know some background. Though you probably know much of the story of what happened that day, I wanted to give you some personal details as I was very close to part of the action that day. On 9/10/2001, I flew into Dulles International Airport, which is about 26 miles from Washington DC. I worked for a company located in Vienna, VA and we meetings I needed to attend that week. I was staying at the Vienna Marriott hotel for the entire week. On 9/11, the salesman (Eric) I was partners with called from Chicago and told me to turn on the TV. I had just taken a shower and was about to make my way to the office.

The conversation started with him telling me that the news reports were saying a small airplane had hit the WTC (North Tower). When I saw the footage, it was difficult to tell what kind of plane hit. I knew it couldn't have been a small prop but thought perhaps a lear jet or the like might have hit it. While we were talking, the second plane hit the WTC South Tower. At this point, we concluded that something very bad was going down and Eric and I ended the call as I wanted to call your mother. I got hold of your Mom, who was in her car headed to work. She was learning much of the same info on the radio. At some point., someone on TV said that the Pentagon had been hit. I told your Mom and she became very quiet. I sensed a dread in her tone, very hard to describe.

It did not come to me right away that the Pentagon was about 7-8 miles from my hotel. Your Mom and I talked for awhile and then I decided I needed to go to work. I gave my love to her and got ready to leave the room. I realized at that point that the Pentagon was very close and went to my balcony. I could see the smoke rising from the general area of where I believed the Pentagon was located. Since no other target was hit in DC that day, I assumed that's what I was looking at. The crushing thought in it all was that just minutes before the crash, 100+ human beings were alive. And then extinguished. Unacceptable.

I went into work and everyone was glued to TVs in the office. At least one of the local employees had a spouse that worked at the Pentagon. She turned out to be OK. Then the towers came down, first the South, then the North. A dead quiet in the office. Horror. Then news of the heroes of Flight 93, who stopped a fourth target from getting hit. Heroes. Management ended up telling us to go home. I couldn't get hold of your Mom again until the next day. Communications was jammed for hours. I also could not get back to Chicago on my original flight, as air travel was grounded for at least a week. Your Mom and I were supposed to attend a relative's marriage ceremony on Saturday. I ended up driving from DC to Chicago on Thursday and got into Chicago on Friday. Very long drive. Lots of quiet time. Lots of contemplation. I listened to the radio and it didn't matter what channel you turned to (Sports, Talk, Music), the conversation was on this tragedy.

I finally arrived home and your Mom and I made the wedding. Funny how life did go on, although very slowly and in a melancholy atmosphere for some time afterwards. I'll be straight up honest about how I feel about the whole thing. I'm still pissed. I won't ever forget it. We needed to go find the animals who did this and make them pay dearly. One problem we had and are still having is that we're fighting not just people, but a radical ideology. So we've had some success and setbacks. In some ways, I think we haven't been savage enough with our enemies. Breaking their will can go aways to ending all of this because as you will note, Radical Islamofascist Islam wants nothing more to see us dead. It is an uncivil death cult.

Not all Islam is this radical and you need to pay attention to words and actions to note the difference. As a Christian, you need to love everyone and show them through your actions and love that there is a better way. But that does not mean you need to check your intelligence at the door. Nor does it mean you have to agree to a suicide pact of letting them kill you. Life is a gift from God. You have an obligation to fight for every last breath.

Love, Dad