No one who has seen pictures of the events of this day or witnessed it first hand will ever forget it. It is etched in our minds forever. I only knew one person that was lost on that day and many of my friends knew at least one person, some more than one.
Here are 2 links to very nice rememberance sites.
www.politicsandprotest.com
http://personal.jax.bellsouth.net/jax/l/c/lchaplin/unkarock/flag.htm
My father served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and was stationed aboard a ship. My uncle, was shot down over Europe and is buried in a mass grave at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. He was awarded a Purple Heart and it hangs proudly alongside my grandfather's Purple Heart from WWI in my parent's home. My father joined the American Legion chapter in our town and we would attend a lot of family functions there as children. I loved going there and still have dreams about that place once in a while. I also loved going to watch him and his fellow Veterans in the many parades they would march in. To this day I will still get goose bumps and get choked up whenever I go to a parade. They will always be a special event for me.
With all of the chaos and turmoil all over the world I do not understand why people do not embrace this priviledge of being citizens of the U.S.A. with open arms, an open heart and an open mind. A lot of children now a days do not respect their flag and what it stands for or their parents and elders for that matter. I'd like to know when this became such a hard thing to do? And once all of these older people are gone, will their patriotism die along with them never to be rekindled again? Is it because everyone is so busy and in such a hurry or that they just don't care about teaching this special way of caring for their God and their Country?
I get very mad and upset when I see a house anywhere in this country that is decorated with a flag of flowers, Santa Claus or rainbows but can't place the American flag there also. WHY? Or why, if they do put out a flag, that it is only on special days like the 4th of July or Memorial Day. It should be flown proudly every day of the year.
If everyone started taking pride in this country and who they are and what they are able to do because they live here, I think we could rebuild what America stood for in 1776 when the Constitution was signed and enacted.
We have had the flag burnings of the 60's to the embarrassment of a President resigning in the 70's to the scandal of impeachment in the 90's. We have become desensitized to what these actions say about us as a country and as a free people, especially when all over the world there are wars and strife that other peoples have had to suffer and die for in their countries. I am sure given the priviledge, they would cherish the freedoms we so often abuse.
My youngest son graduated from High School in June 2000. He had decided to enlist in the Navy while in his senior year. Nick qualified for special training and has signed on for 6 years, two of which he will be trained in his specialty. He went to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois, north of Chicago. I attended his graduation in January 2001. It was very impressive and I am very proud of the man he has become. He is now stationed in Georgia.
Deskflag.com
