May 1st, 2011

It does feel a little weird to celebrate the death of a human, but I cannot help to join in the jubilation with the death of Osama Bin Laden. To steal from Mark Twain, “I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” This is one of those occasions. As all who were old enough to remember where we were on September 11th 2001, I vividly recall sitting in Ms. Parrish’s English class in the 200 hall at Edgewater High School. I remember watching the second plane crash into the second tower. I remember going home and watching the footage over and over again. I remember the pained looks of sheer terror on the faces of those people caught near ground zero. I remember feeling completely helpless. I remember total sadness.

There have been many times when I have been brought to tears. I admit tonight was one of them. Not upon hearing the news of Bin Laden’s death, but during our President’s address. “…And yet we know the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table, children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father, parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace…” These words were spoken in reference to those who were killed during the 2001 attacks, yet they speak to all those who lost loved ones in the war against terror.

I have had the great opportunity to visit the resting places for many of our fallen troops- Arlington National Cemetery and the Normandy American Cemetery on Omaha beach. You can bet I was brought to tears on these occasions as well. The hypnotic patterns of graves marking fallen heros haunt your soul as you are reminded, these people died so that I didn’t have to. The Marines who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier assure that those who die might be gone, but they will never be forgotten.

I cannot claim to even begin to understand what families go through when they receive that fateful call to inform them that a loved one has been lost. I only know what I felt when I believed that call had come, and it had been answered by me. It was not what I had feared, as the man on the other end assured me that this was a courtesy call informing me of an incident, and that my brother was okay. For those few seconds, which seemed an eternity, I was shaken to my core. The fact that others must continue through life with a far different outcome is something I cannot fathom.

On a night like tonight, where a victory has been won, let us not forget the sacrifices made along the way. For almost a decade this fight has gone on. Today does not mark the end of sacrifices made. There will undoubtedly continue to be a war against terror, as there will undoubtedly be brave men and women leading the charge against evil. As we celebrate a momentous day in our history, remember that it is brought to you by brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends and neighbors.

“…let us remember we can do these things…because of who we are. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all…” - President Obama