Has it really been 10 years?

It's hard for me to believe that 10 years ago, our world changed forever.

It seems like only yesterday, I was sitting in Hodges Library, on a Mac, finishing my a project for my advertising class. With my project complete, I clicked over to the web to check the news and my e-mail. And there it was, an image of the World Trade Center, smoking. I don't remember what the headline read, but I scanned for the next article. Then I saw a photo of the Pentagon, with a chunk of its outer ring, missing.

At this point, I had no idea what to think. I think I finally saw a headline that said "America Under Attack". I just remember getting up and wanting to walk back to the UC to find a TV. On my way out the door, I saw my friend Eric, sitting at a computer. He was catching up on the news too. I could tell he was worried. His dad was a fireman back in Middle Tennessee. I know he was thinking about what could have been. On a side note, that's also the last time I saw Eric. We had been friends since junior high, but I guess life got in the way. I often wonder what happened to Eric. I hope he's doing well.

Back to the story, as I walked to the UC, my mind started racing. My aunt lived & worked in DC. Thankfully, she was in northern VA that morning, meeting with her accountant. She didn't even know what was going on till the dust had settled.

Then I remembered my friend Stuart had several job interviews in NYC that week. Like an idiot, I pull out my phone and start dialing. Of course I couldn't get through, but continued to try. Later that evening, I was able to leave a voicemail. It seemed like a lifetime before I finally heard back from Stuart. I was in class when he called, so he, in turn, left me a message. You could hear his voice cracking, but who cares, he was OK. The message was long & didn't make a whole lot of sense, but I saved it for quite a while. I can still hear him talking about how he couldn't call out because "the tower, on top of the tower fell".

We should never forget the innocent victims who lost their lives through these cowardly acts, but the people who get overlooked should be the one's we continue to support and thank every day. The first responders, the men and women who put their lives on the line to help others. And our military, who continue to fight this battle to ensure we don't ever experience this kind of act again. Our military has taken a lot of flack and this upsets me. Could you imagine enlisting during a time of war?

A friend of mine currently works at the United States Naval Academy, 2 of my high school classmates graduated from Annapolis, another from the United States Air Force Academy in 2001. Did you realize there is a 5 year military service commitment after you graduate? Can you imagine actually knowing you'd have to go to war after you finish up with school?

But do you know who impressed me the most? The men and women who committed to the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy and West Point post 9/11/01. They had no idea how long this war would last. But they did it anyway.

I'm thankful for every man and woman in uniform. I challenge each of you to thank a first responder or someone in uniform, not just today, but every day. While some still may not agree with our past actions or current state of troop deployment, we should all agree they deserve our respect.