Today, September 11th, 2013, was a day of remembrance. It was much like any other day of my past year. It was filled with meetings, typing up reports and working hard to do my part. Yet, it is a unique day, as it was spent serving my country in Afghanistan. We paused to have a Remembrance Ceremony with passages and moments of silence. While listening, I was struck by the words of the 9/11 Memorial Poem by Rosanne Pellicane, titled, "If They Could Speak." Please don’t be afraid. Yes, life is different now but remember when it was beautiful? Well, it will be again, though not the same. The wounds will heal, your tears will dry and though scars remain, I know you are strong enough to live through the pain. Do not grieve and linger in the shadows of graves. Go out into the sunshine and tell everyone that I was here. Let our enemy know that when we were together we lived, and worked and loved. And though I am gone, you will carry on for me because you must. Tell my family how much I loved them and still do. Remember the good we shared, the life we created, and walk forward with noble dreams. God can’t fill a shattered heart or a clenched fist. Let fear die and let love flow again like a river. So as the smoke rises high above the ash, gather all your strength and rebuild something new, something better. It’s not impossible. It’s essential. It’s what I would do for you. Just one last thing, surely you must know, I never wanted to leave you. I was captured by fate, escorted by angels. And though you might feel you are alone, you are not and neither am I....... Love always I joined the United States Air Force a year prior to that fateful day. In joining to serve my country, war was not even present in my mind. I looked at it as a chance to pay for college and a chance to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps. Little did I know, a year later my life would be whole-heartedly changed by the impact of those planes in the World Trade Center, Pentagon and the sleepy fields of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, I devoted my life to my country and reenlisted twice more in the pursuit of justice for the fallen. Yet now my time is ending overseas and I can see my return on the horizon. I do not see this return as an end, but as a new beginning. It is time for me to move on. It is time for me to set down this burden that I have carried in service to my country. I need to let go of those feelings that I’ve carried since that day. I need to step into the future with hope. I Am Ready. Ready to move into the future embracing love, Ready to go out and enjoy life, and Ready to go capture my “noble dream.” So as you take time to remember the events that day, also take time to look forward. Embrace your future. You will honor those that have fallen best, not by grieving, but by not taking your freedoms for granted for a single day. Go and chase your dream, I know I will.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 15:17:02 +0000
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