The feelings never go away.
The shock. The cold chill running through our bodies. The sudden realization that we weren’t just witnessing a terrible plane crash; we were witnessing an attack.
We stood there, glued to the television, hearing of more attacks – and rumors of others that never materialized. Military aircraft raced to the skies above our cities. Bases locked down. The entire fleet sortied, creating a protective bubble around the homeland.
But from whom?
We didn’t know at first. We would later learn of a shadowy organization that had been committed to our destruction for years, claiming “credit” for the coordinated attack. We heard the name of its ringleader for the first time.
We knew war was coming, and we prepared.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7OCgMPX2mE[/youtube]We emerged from the wreckage a nation united. Our collective instinct told us that the liberties we hold dear were under siege. And there is nothing so fierce as an American whose core principles – those of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – are threatened.
We rose to defend our nation as a mother Grizzly defends her cub.
We are not done with them yet, but one day we will be finished. And America will be able to rest once again.
Ever vigilant. Ever ready.
Never forgetting.
