Our Guamazing Adventure

"Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment. Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our time and the great hope of every time, now depends on us. Our nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of violence from our people and our future...We will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail." George W. Bush 9/20/11

On 9/10/01, we buried my grandfather. I remember that entire week vividly. I was a college sophomore at Saint Louis University. Several days beforehand, I forgot to take my cell phone with me to class. I came back to my room after class to get ready for diving practice, and I had somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 missed calls. My family had been trying to reach me to let me know my grandfather was dying and to get on a flight. I missed the first flight, but made the second. I got to the airport in record time, but couldn't find my driver's license. I showed the airline rep my student ID, a library card and my checkbook, and after telling her through tears I had to get on the flight to see my dying grandpa, she reluctantly let me board. How very different air travel would be only a few days later. I arrived in Lincoln, NE and grandpa was still alive, but he was already gone. Only hours before he had been laughing, telling jokes, being the good humored, amazing man that he was, and I missed it. I'm not sure I'll ever get over that. My sister and I drove back to Kansas City shortly thereafter - I to get a new license, she to take a test she couldn't miss. He passed away while we were gone, and we buried him on the 10th. The rest of my family returned to KC, but I wanted to stay with my grandma. She was so lonely. The morning of the 11th, my Aunt Catherine burst into my grandma's house to tell us to turn on the television. We did, and I called a friend of mine back at school to see if he was watching tv. He was, and we watched in horror as the second plane hit the WTC. I was a fairly well-read college kid, and I remember thinking that it was probably Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization that wasn't yet a household name. It's amazing how quickly that changed. My grandma truly believes (and I have to agree with her), that grandpa died when he did to get heaven ready for the thousands that would be joining him the next day. The 12th, my uncle drove me back to KC, my dad drove me to Columbia, MO to meet my roommate, and she drove me back to school. In the days following the attacks, I collected money for the fallen fire fighters fund. I hung a flag up outside our dorm. I made yellow ribbons for the College Republicans to give out. And then and there, at the ripe old age of 19, I knew I wanted to serve our country in some capacity. We all do in different ways, and today I'm proud to serve as a federal employee, and even prouder to serve as a military wife. This morning I ran the "September to Remember" Guam 5k, and my tears welled with pride listening to the cadence of the men of the Frank Cable. And now, with Taps playing outside my window to signify it's time to sleep, I go to bed knowing that our nation is stronger because of men like that, and men like my husband. Tonight I will pray for the husbands and wives still in harm's way, the mothers and fathers who lost their children when the towers fell, the thousands of families who waited for phone calls that never came, and met grief that will never part. I pray that our cities are safe today, tomorrow, and always. I pray for the continued strength of our country, and that we truly will NEVER forget those that we lost 10 years ago today, and those that we've lost since. I pray that God will bless you all, and God will continue to bless America. Goodnight :)