Quiet reflection.

The AnaolgKid was kind enough to provide a link to Michele's 9/11 Project (Voices). A worthy and noble thing from Michele, and while I can't compete with the elegant words of others, I feel compeled to put my memories down. Maybe some of you will be moved to say as well what you remember from that day. It was a singular moment, never pray God to happen again, with faith in our men and women at arms, never again.

I briefly touched on it before, this merely adds detail. See if you too can remember the horror and not feel we are adavancing the cause of justice.

It was actually a dull morning for me, my sweet lady was out for the day, working as I recall, our daughter Amanda was with me, she was two and a half. My wife was pregnant with our son, he was to be born in November. The TV was on, Mandy was watching toons as usual, and between loads of laundry I slipped in some time to catch up on things at Yahoo news. The headline was small, and clipped, "Plane strikes World Trade Center." No details were up yet. I walked into the living room and against Mandy's protest, switched to MSNBC. The world will never be the same to me anymore. I have heard people say, they remember exactly where they were when they heard about Pearl Harbour, it's like that for me.

I saw it from the first hour on, the fire spreading, the smoke and flames, the people, Jesus God the people, falling, jumping, one shot detailed a couple holding hands as they jumped. I've barely every met a man to make me fear, not since I was a child, but I sat there and started to shake. Rage, anguish, frustration, sick to my stomach at the terrible, horrible loss. How could this happen? I started running everything I ever learned about flying through my head, desparately trying to put some reason to how such an accident could happen.

Then the second plane struck, the Pentagon was hit, flight 93 went down......

War....We're at War......God help us all, we at war again. Mandy walked over to me then, she knew daddy was upset, she tried to hug me, give a kiss to make it better. I pulled her in my lap and just held her, wondering if my wife was close to a phone. Knowing in my head we were probably safe where we were, but not in my gut. I started thinking of where to get a gun, wether the attacks would continue, wether martial law would be declared. I started wondering if the world had simply gone insane...........I sat, I watched, I held my little girl, and knew deep inside that this would be a fight to the death. No prisoners, no quarter, no mercy, not for us, and if I had anything to say, not for those bastards who planned this. I swore to myself to give what I had left, money, little extra that we had, my time, my faith, my words, and my will. I know many millions of us felt something much like that that day. Mandy doesn't remember it, our son is still too young. My wife came home early, and we kept our child close, watching, listening, we didn't turn off the news for days after.

The memorials began almost immediately, some organized, some not. Even in my tiny acre of the world, candlelight vigils were held as the survivors were dug out. Fireman, and Police Officers from the whole state volunteered to go to New York, many were accepted. Their stories from Ground Zero still haunt me. That's the word,......Haunted.

The dead are finally counted, and we lost far fewer than those bastards aimed to kill, but so many, so very many. I was no child, no naive boy fresh from the farm, I had seen the cold war, seen people die, lost many in my own family to fate of one kind or another. I've held someone close as they died screaming in pain, death and I know each other. But this shakes me to my soul as nothing else save the birth of our children does. I won't let go of it, I can't, I refuse,............I want to go to my grave still raging in my soul for those murdered people, those fallen heroes, and those that have taken the fight to the bowels of the beast itself. I'm one of millions and I know others feel the same. We'll win in the end, because people like me, like Neal, like Phil, like most of you will not forget, not let go....We'll finish it, however much the cost, however long it takes, we'll ride it to the end.

But you know something? I remember something else too. Heroes of every color and creed, men and women who just wanted to help, and became immortal. Living on beyond death, a shining testement to life and hope. Wether you share my faith in God or not, no one can be untouched by that day, by the sheer magnetude of the bravery and sacrifice shown by average people. It was our worst day, and also our finest.

In years to come, as we look back, I hope the image doesn't fade too much. We are our memories, our sorrows as well as our triumphs. This piece of time can't be lost, too much suffering, too much love and sacrifice given to allow that. The best Honor we can pay the heroes and victims of that day at the Towers is to remember it all. We owe them that, we owe ourselves that, we owe our children born or not yet born. Remember................

We cannot know all that lies ahead. Yet, we do know that God had placed us together in this moment, to grieve together, to stand together, to serve each other and our country. And the duty we have been given -- defending America and our freedom -- is also a privilege we share.

We're prepared for this journey. And our prayer tonight is that God will see us through, and keep us worthy. George Bush, President of the United Staes Of America at the first anniversary of 9/11.

This says more than I......