We Will Not Forget

September 11, 2001 was just another first day of school at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. I went to school that morning for a day of classes. After my first course of the semester, I went to the school store to pick up a few things needed for the next class.

As I looked around the store, I caught a few disjointed pieces of news on the radio playing on the PA system. They struck me as odd, something about a plane hitting the World Trade Center in New York City. The information was so sketchy, I decided to check for additional news online, using my cell phone. That led to further confusion, as the news I found there centered around a plane having crashed into the Pentagon.

The erratic nature of these news articles led me to call my dad. "Hey Dad, I'm at school and there's some really odd news. I was hoping you might have more information. I heard about a plane hitting the World Trade Center, but then another report said it was the Pentagon. What's going on?"

"Well, you know the World Trade Center, right? It's no longer standing. And a different plane flew into the Pentagon."

Stunned silence. "Forget it Dad, this is too crazy, I have to find a television."

I headed to my next class to tell the professor I wasn't dropping the class, but I wouldn't be there, today. His note cancelling class beat me to the room.

I spent the rest of the day sitting in the library watching news about the events of that day. It is a day that will remain forever etched in my memory. It is a day that all Americans should remember.

We should also remember those Americans who serve in our defense. They go where they are ordered and they do what they must. Some make the ultimate sacrifice for honor and country. We must remember these soldiers and those they leave behind. Many are following in the footsteps of those who went before them. This song and video from Phil Driscoll are fitting.

Important times in a country's history are easily identifiable. They are the times when every single person remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing. September 11, 2001 was one of those days.