Sunday, September 11, 2011
I Will Remember
I will always remember 11 September 2001. I will always remember sitting in my cubicle at work, reviewing help requests, when John L. walked quickly down the hallway toward the conference room, saying planes had hit the World Trade Center. I remember thinking what many others did upon hearing that news, that a couple of small planes had collided and landed on the buildings. As we gathered around the small TV in the conference room we quickly realized what had happened was orders of magnitude worse.
I will always remember going out to my truck to get the New York sectional I had in my ground school materials, to see if it was possible this was some bizarre coincidence of two airliners not maintaining enough of a climb out of one of the New York area airports. As I walked back to the office I noted the clear blue sky, the cool of a not quite early fall day. We didn't have ground school that night, which would have been the first exam and a field trip to the Eglin control tower.
I will always remember the anger I felt as I read the names and stories of the dead. I didn't give a damn about the hijackers beyond how they were able to carry out their deed, and I still don't. But I will always be enraged by that foul act - and no, evil is definitely not too strong a word for it. There are no words too strong for such an act.
I will always remember, as I did today, a few names: Jerome Dominguez, Barbara Olson, and Mychal Judge. But I will also remember those whose names I do not have committed to memory, such as the children on American Airlines Flight 77, headed for an educational trip to California.
I will always remember that there are those such as the hijackers of 9/11 who will hate us, not for anything in particular that we have done, but for the mere fact that we exist. There are those who would destroy us because we allow women to mingle with men without demanding they be covered from head to toe. Fuck them. Fuck them and all who can possibly justify those actions with "it's a cultural thing - we have to understand." Not all of the hatred of our free Constitutionally-based nation comes from Islamic freaks - there are plenty of our "countrymen" who harbor the same feelings.
I will always remember, as cliched as it may be, that freedom isn't free. I will always remember that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. I will always remember that the United States of America, its Declaration of Independence, and its Constitution, are the best hope and model the world has for lasting prosperous freedom.
I will remember.
I will always remember 11 September 2001. I will always remember sitting in my cubicle at work, reviewing help requests, when John L. walked quickly down the hallway toward the conference room, saying planes had hit the World Trade Center. I remember thinking what many others did upon hearing that news, that a couple of small planes had collided and landed on the buildings. As we gathered around the small TV in the conference room we quickly realized what had happened was orders of magnitude worse.
I will always remember going out to my truck to get the New York sectional I had in my ground school materials, to see if it was possible this was some bizarre coincidence of two airliners not maintaining enough of a climb out of one of the New York area airports. As I walked back to the office I noted the clear blue sky, the cool of a not quite early fall day. We didn't have ground school that night, which would have been the first exam and a field trip to the Eglin control tower.
I will always remember the anger I felt as I read the names and stories of the dead. I didn't give a damn about the hijackers beyond how they were able to carry out their deed, and I still don't. But I will always be enraged by that foul act - and no, evil is definitely not too strong a word for it. There are no words too strong for such an act.
I will always remember, as I did today, a few names: Jerome Dominguez, Barbara Olson, and Mychal Judge. But I will also remember those whose names I do not have committed to memory, such as the children on American Airlines Flight 77, headed for an educational trip to California.
I will always remember that there are those such as the hijackers of 9/11 who will hate us, not for anything in particular that we have done, but for the mere fact that we exist. There are those who would destroy us because we allow women to mingle with men without demanding they be covered from head to toe. Fuck them. Fuck them and all who can possibly justify those actions with "it's a cultural thing - we have to understand." Not all of the hatred of our free Constitutionally-based nation comes from Islamic freaks - there are plenty of our "countrymen" who harbor the same feelings.
I will always remember, as cliched as it may be, that freedom isn't free. I will always remember that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. I will always remember that the United States of America, its Declaration of Independence, and its Constitution, are the best hope and model the world has for lasting prosperous freedom.
I will remember.
Labels: 2996, 9/11, 911, remember
Thursday, September 10, 2009
We Remember
Eight years ago, on the morning of 11 September 2001, Patrick Quigley of Wellesley, Massachusetts, boarded United Airlines Flight 175 at Boston’s Logan International Airport. He was killed when the Boeing 767 was flown into the south tower of the World Trade Center.
At forty years old, Patrick was pretty squarely in the middle of the age range of those killed by Islamist terrorists that fateful day. He was taken from his wife and two daughters, one not yet born. Patrick was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, but "dreamed of maybe, one day, opening his own wine store."
It is my honor to remember Mr Patrick Quigley IV, along with the others killed in the 11 Sept attack. I feel I should write more about Patrick, but I am not sure I can add to what others have already written. It is, perhaps, my duty simply to post, to remember, to say "We will not forget."
You may read other tributes to Patrick at 9-11 Heroes, and here is a link to Gregor's 2006 Project 2,996 tribute to Patrick.
Eight years ago, on the morning of 11 September 2001, Patrick Quigley of Wellesley, Massachusetts, boarded United Airlines Flight 175 at Boston’s Logan International Airport. He was killed when the Boeing 767 was flown into the south tower of the World Trade Center.
At forty years old, Patrick was pretty squarely in the middle of the age range of those killed by Islamist terrorists that fateful day. He was taken from his wife and two daughters, one not yet born. Patrick was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, but "dreamed of maybe, one day, opening his own wine store."
It is my honor to remember Mr Patrick Quigley IV, along with the others killed in the 11 Sept attack. I feel I should write more about Patrick, but I am not sure I can add to what others have already written. It is, perhaps, my duty simply to post, to remember, to say "We will not forget."
You may read other tributes to Patrick at 9-11 Heroes, and here is a link to Gregor's 2006 Project 2,996 tribute to Patrick.
