Six years ago....

It’s been six year since the terrorist attacks against the United States. I was in NYC last week and life was booming once again. Steel beams are beginning to rise out of the Earth at Ground Zero where the new Freedom Tower will stand.

The Pentagon is repaired and security is tight.
The field in Shanksville, PA. where United Flight 93 crashed is now covered with grass and wild flowers.
Time has gone on and yet it seems like yesterday that the world went mad.
The shock of the World Trade Center being struck, not once but twice. The towers falling. The Pentagon exploding and the crash in PA.
As the white dust cleared from the falling buildings we saw mayhem and disaster. Twisted steel and mountains of debris. The Pentagon fire was put out and all that was left in Pennsylvania was a huge whole in the ground where United Flight 93 slammed nose first at 600 MPH.
But as we looked deeper into this nightmare we found hope. The people of NYC and the world banned together. In a city where no one looks twice at you, we saw strangers stopping and helping strangers. Picking people off the ground. Hugging one another in search of comfort and understanding. Volunteering to dig through tons of cement in hopes of finding survivors.
We learned that aboard United Flight 93 the passengers and crew phoned their loved ones to say good bye moments before they stood in the face of terror and fought back. They gave their lives to stop the hijacked plane from reaching it’s destination, which we now know was Washington, DC. In doing this they saved hundreds if not thousands of lives.

I had the honor of visiting the field where Fight 93 crashed, in Shanksville, PA. The windswept field stands in the middle of rural America. It seems only fitting that the first battle in the war against terrorism would have been fought and won over the skies of this field. It’s now a peaceful place. A make shift memorial now stands where a larger one soon will be built. This memorial is to me the most impressive of all memorials from that dark day. It was made by people, families and friends of the heroes that gave their lives that day. It was made by strangers who wanted to show respect and thanks. A fence on the field is covered with hundreds of memorabilia from all over the world. Flags, shirts, flowers, hates, banners, all that show thanks for what these 40 strangers did that day. 40 tin angels line the front of the field with the name of each person on board the plane that day. This field is a place of peace and thanks. It’s a field of honor and heroism. It’s a field that represents what this country is all about. I honestly believe that every American should someday visit this tiny town in Pennsylvania and stop by this field. If you don’t have an understanding what bravery is all about you will there.