Faith, Family & Fun

Faith, Family & Fun is a personal column written weekly by Joe Southern, a Coloradan now living in Texas. It's here for your enjoyment. Please feel free to leave comments. I want to hear from you!

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My name is Joe and I am married to Sandy. We have four children: Heather, Wesley, Luke and Colton. Originally from Colorado, we live in Bryan, Texas. Faith, Family & Fun is Copyright 1987-2024 by Joe Southern

Tuesday, September 13

It's time to claim victory in the war on terror

The two things that make the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks different from the rest is that we have cut the head off the snake that caused them and we now have real progress on a memorial at the site of the former World Trade Center towers.
For the past nine years, Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks, remained a thorn in our collective side. Though he was rendered mostly harmless, his very existence was a painful annoyance to all of us. Now that he is dead, this year’s anniversary feels more like a victory party than a wake.It helps significantly that we are about to dedicate the new memorials at Ground Zero. Water structures have been built into the footprints of the former Twin Towers and for the first time in 10 years the site is pleasant to look at. Again, another cause for celebration.
Yes, it is a time to remember and reflect. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that day. It changed our world forever. It is a sad occasion. Yet this time it just feels like a victory celebration. Ten years is a long time to get to this point. Now that we are here, we can really begin to mend the wounds inflicted on our psyche that horrible day.
While the enemy is not defeated, we can claim victory in this round of war. Shy of killing every terrorist combatant, we will always face a threat from al-Qaida and their ilk. Thanks to our military and our aggressive efforts at security, their threat is greatly diminished. If the worst thing we have to fear is body scanners at airports, I’d say the job was well done. The world today is a much safer place than it was 10 years ago. It’s not perfect, but nothing is.
Most adults and a few teens today can recall where they were and what they were doing when the planes crashed into the towers, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania field. I was just out of the shower, getting ready for a day at work, when I heard the news on the radio. I turned on the TV and watched until the second tower was hit. That’s when I knew there was serious trouble and we would all be very busy in the newsroom.
I was the first reporter in. Two editors and the features editor were next. The four of us were the major force behind the production of an “extra” edition that morning. It’s the only “extra” I’ve been involved with. We churned that puppy out and then set about the task of covering local events for the next day’s paper. I must have pulled about 16 hours that day but it felt more like three. Time flew as fast as it stood still.
What really stands out to me from that time is how we came together as a nation and how nobody complained about all the public prayers that went up. Since then we have become more polarized than ever. Religion, especially Christianity, is under constant attack. Culturally and socially, I don’t think our nation is better off now than we were 10 years ago. How much of that is because of Sept. 11, it’s hard to say.
As one who was born and raised in the Vietnam War era, I am pleased to see how well our military is treated and respected no matter how you feel about the wars they are fighting. I have a cousin who served several stints in Iraq and my brother-in-law is an Army chaplain who is currently stationed in Iraq. They can tell you how important the support from the home front is to them.
I guess what all this comes down to for me is that perhaps this anniversary on Sunday is an ideal time to declare victory and to move on as a nation from a position of fear and intimidation to one of pride and confidence. I’m not suggesting we let our guard down. That would be stupid. We know our enemy will try to strike again. I’m just saying that it’s time for an attitude adjustment and to move on.

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