6 Years ago.

Even now I can remember the events of 6 years ago with perfect clarity.

I was unemployed at the time (though I had just done an interview that would lead to a job in a few short weeks with the government). So I slept in until around 0800. Then I just remember the panic, the desperate attempts to get in touch with family. The fear that I couldn't. The absolute horrors of seeing one, then the other tower of the WTC go down. Hearing about the strike on the Pentagon and seeing smoke in the distance. The further panic of reports of another aircraft headed for DC.

It all still resonates strongly with me and remains a powerful motivator for my actions today. Every time that I put on my uniform I have that strong desire to make sure that what happened 6 years ago never happens again and, heaven forbid, that something happened again that I could provide more assistance than sitting at home desperately seeking more information about that safety of my family.

Though I dodged a bullet in that no one from my extended or immediate family was hurt (though my uncle and cousin will probably forever have the images of the jumpers burned in their mind as they were working in the vicinity) my heart still aches for the people that lost their lives to this cowardly attack and for their families that continue to mourn their loss. It saddens me that the scum that ochestrated this event still continue to breathe and still offer some sort of further threat to this country.

Somehow its appropriate that on a day commemorating such a grim event even the weather seemed sad.