September 11, 2001, was a day no American who lived through it will ever forget. Each year, when we reach this date on the calendar, everyone’s memories come flooding back as we relive the horror along with the examples of inspiring bravery. I am no different. On September 11, 2001, I was honored to be serving as Michigan’s Secretary of State and our state’s Chief Elections Officer. That Tuesday was primary election day in many cities across Michigan, including Detroit. Since there had been recent problems with the election process in Detroit, I was traveling to various polling sites in the city along with Michigan’s Director of Elections to ensure that the people of the city had the ability to exercise their sacred right to vote in a free and fair election. As 9:00 am approached we arrived at a polling place and heard the news that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. At that point everybody believed it was an accident and was wondering how such a tragedy could occur on such a beautiful morning. When we arrived at the next polling location, we heard the additional news that another plane had hit the second tower, at which point everyone in America knew that this tragedy was not an accident, but instead an act of war against our nation. Soon thereafter, the news came forward that the Pentagon was also attacked and another plane had crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. I then had to make a decision as to whether the election taking place in Detroit and other cities would move forward. As a result of the attacks on our nation, the borders would be closed, including the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. I talked to the Governor, the State Police, the Mayor and others about the security situation. After being reassured about the security situation in Michigan I decided that we could not allow the acts of those who attacked our freedom to allow our democratic process to be stopped and the election would continue. When you serve the public, you are often asked to make difficult decisions, and this was certainly one of them for me because I did not know if it was the correct call. After a very busy day making certain that everything was secure and safe, I, like every other American, simply wanted to return to the embrace of my family at home. As I traveled home I passed the runway at Selfridge Air National Guard Base and saw every plane in the inventory on the tarmac, fueled, manned and ready to defend freedom. In the days after September 11th, these brave Americans would continue to fly combat air patrol missions across our skies, and each time I heard the roar of their engines I would think, “that is the sound of freedom and thank God they are ours.” And since that day, these men and women have been engaged in protecting our freedom on battlefields across the globe. On this day, let us all remember those horrific events and those who were lost, but let us also remember the incredible and selfless acts of bravery and compassion by so many Americans. Let us never forget what happened that day and let us all stay resolved to stay eternally vigilant to stop a similar event from ever happening again. May God bless America.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 13:49:59 +0000
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