9/11 Tribute

To all of my friends,

From personal experience, I know that there are seven stages in the grieving process.

The first stage is shock and denial.

At 7:45am central time, an American Airlines jet crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center. Eighteen minutes later a second hijacked United Airlines jet crashed into the South tower. All of us remember where we were when we heard the news.

The second stage is marked by pain.

As I watched in utter disbelief that day, I couldn’t help but cry. Many questions filled my mind, but most stinging was the simple question of, “Why?”

The third stage is marked by anger.

Many people will never make it past this stage, including myself. Our anger towards those who hate us out of jealousy has fueled our efforts to exterminate terrorism worldwide.

The fourth stage is characterized by feelings of depression and loneliness.

We will never get back what we lost that day. The victims and their families have suffered the most and deserve your thoughts and prayers.

The fifth and sixth stages involve working through the pain.

As America rebuilds and remembers, we are hopeful for the future. There has not been another attack on U.S. soil in nine years largely due to the efforts of President Bush. We have aggressively targeted al-Qaida and the Taliban and stabilized many of the regions in the middle-east that harbor these groups.

The seventh and final stage is marked by hope.

I believe that as a nation, we are in this stage. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is scheduled to open on Sept. 11th, 2011, ten years to the day after the attacks. The five story waterfall surrounded by acres of trees will provide visitors with a tranquil surrounding in which to mourn all that was lost that September day.

In closing, I ask that you take a break in the next few days from the hustle of everyday life to remember the victims that died on September 11th, 2001 at the hands of radical terrorists. I hope that you will thank God for the fact that you are still breathing and living in the greatest nation in the history of mankind; it’s a privilege that no one should take for granted.

Thank you,



AH