I have always felt mixed emotions that my generation is unable to comprehend the meaning of war. Perhaps we've just been lucky. I celebrated my 29th birthday on Thursday, only two days after the horrible tragedies in America. Although I was a junior in high school during Desert Storm, and even had friends who served our country, it was different...it didn't really seem like I thought a "war" should be. When I saw the movie "Saving Private Ryan," I realized why the generations of WWI, WWII, and Vietnam looked at my generation with frustration. We didn't understand, how could we? On September 11, 2001, my generation gained understanding. From that day forward, we will never again be able to take our security and freedoms for granted. And for that, as crazy as it seems, I am glad.
I learned about the attack in NYC via "The TODAY Show." We didn't want to leave from work because we felt we needed to stay and watch every detail unfurl. By the time I arrived at work, the Pentagon had been hit. We held a prayer meeting for a few minutes and by the time we ended our meeting, both buildings had fallen. I was stunned. I am still stunned 3 days later.
Ironically, my husband and I hung an American flag on our home this past Sunday. I received the flag from my Grandmother who has recently moved into an assisted living center. We had witnessed patriotic communities in Pennsylvania around July 4th while on vacation, and since then we had wanted to hang an American flag. Words do not describe how proud we felt arriving at our home on Tuesday with the American flag already flying. I am proud to be an American every day, but from that day forward I will always be a little prouder.
Last updated: 09/15/01