Today, as you probably already know, is the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I can recall exactly where I was and what I was doing when I saw a news report telling us that there was a plane crash in one of the towers in New York. This was several hours before we knew it was a terrorist attack and I remember thinking to myself, that some poor pilot must have had a heart attack or some other catastrophe had befallen the crew of that jet liner. Little did we know…

I was on the computer chatting with my cousin and mentioned that she may want to turn on the news. She did. And with several thousand miles between us, we watched and became closer than ever before in that single moment.

I remember sitting there almost in a daze and running the gamut of feelings between sheer terror on the surface of my heart and trying to remain calm to feeling helpless to help those who were wandering in the smoke and ash filled streets. I wanted to cry, scream, and panic… all I could do was pray.

I was supposed to fly to Oregon for my dad’s USN Chief Ceremony but had to stay home since all flights were cancelled. I ran to Hobby Lobby and bought a handful of American Flags to pass out. People were looking for ways to help and show their patriotism. Days later, our friends’ adult children were joining the military and after boot camp, were being shipped overseas in record breaking numbers for our time.

My cousin and I come from a military family. Our grandfathers were in the war, our dad’s served in the Navy and Air Force (respectively), my cousin’s brother was also in the Navy, and another cousin in the Air Force. We grew up showing patriotism for our country and supporting our troops. This time, however, the patriotism went deeper. This was an attack on OUR soil and on our loved ones. This was more personal than any other mission we had faced.

So today, I want to show my support for those who are still in the military, are still over-sea’s, and fighting STILL, to keep us a free nation.