Today is Veterans Day, a time we give thanks and celebrate the service of all U.S. military veterans. It’s also a time of reflection on the many freedoms we are afforded because of those that have gone before us as well as those who continue to lead the way. My calling was not the military though my father and father-in-law both served, and I am thankful for their service. My superintendent also makes a very big deal about today as he uses his own platform to honor our servicemen and servicewomen in a public, yet truly personal, way. I appreciate his leadership in reminding us all of why we should be grateful.
Each generation is connected to the way of the world differently I suppose and for me, 9/11 was the event that made the abstract all too real. I was in high school during Operation Desert Storm and remember the yellow ribbon I, along with other classmates, wore to support our troops. But to be honest, the “realness” of that conflict resonated exclusively because my biology teacher’s husband was a soldier stationed in Iraq. I didn’t know enough and wasn’t mature enough to process the stakes at hand. September 11th was just a different, once-in-a-lifetime changing experience. For me, I was getting gas that morning when the news started coming in (I was at a local RaceTrac close to work). In the aftermath, it stands as the single deadliest terrorist attack in human history and the single deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers, some 3,000 lives lost. I saw the Pentagon nearly a month later in person, still smoldering. I’ve been to Ground Zero and the subsequent National Memorial where the names of every person who died in 2001 are inscribed into bronze panels edging the Memorial pools.
I was reading recently that Toby Keith, American country singer-songwriter, wrote “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” in 20 minutes as both a reaction to 9/11 and in honor of his father, who was a veteran and died earlier that year in a car accident. At first, the country music star considered the song too personal to record, singing it only in live performances, mostly for military audiences. However, after being convinced to record it as a patriotic morale-booster during the build-up to war with Iraq, the song shot to the top of the country charts. This was his calling and the gift he had to offer.
And finally, on a day to remember, Representative-elect Dan Crenshaw out of Houston, TX, provides the ultimate life lesson – forgiveness. He’s a decorated Navy Seal turned politician who comedian, Pete Davidson, on Saturday Night Live poked fun at – you can learn all you need to know here. Apologies followed and were accepted, and the game changer came when Crenshaw appeared on SNL and among other lessons, shared we should Never Forget. In his closing, the two Bronze Star Medal / Purple Heart / Navy Commendation Medal with Valor Ivy leaguer said “and never forget those we lost on 9/11, heroes like Pete’s father.”
What if? Why Not? 