Forgive their sins that their soul may be cleansed, but their acts will send them straight to Hell!

In shock we watched as that first plane hit the Twin Towers, then the second . Then another plane went down in a field in Pennsylvania….. how could this be happening?

How hearts sunk in disbelief as the towers crumbled to the ground. We held our breath and prayed that many would survive and be found.

Sadly that was not the case. Nearly 3000 people perished that day. This was not just attack on the United States. It was an attack on the free world.

Through most of the casualties were American, many other countries also suffered casualties. Canada, Britain, Australia to mention a few.

However in one of Americas darkest hours it also showed us the incredible resolve America has.

Within minutes people from all walks of life rallied together to help their fellow Americans.

Countries across the globe stood along side America offering there help in whatever means possible.

Although this Cause is mainly directed towards Soldiers who have served and are still serving, it has from the start included everyday civilians who did what they could in past conflicts to preserve are freedom.

Sept 11 2001 was no exception. There were the brave men and women from the New York fire department who without any hesitation entered those buildings to rescue others, the police the paramedics and of course the passengers on United flight 93 who fought the terrorist, willingly giving their own lives to spare the lives of many more.

So on this day I ask you to please take the time to remember all those who lost their lives due to a cowardly foe who attacked the innocent.

And also remember the people who gave their lives and are still giving their lives to protect the innocent….you and me.

Sept 11 2001 was a rude awakening to a complacent society reminding us how precious and fragile our freedom is.

So please, I urge you, at 8:46 a.m. the time when the first plane hit the tower, stop whatever you are doing and take a moment of silence to remember!

WE MUST NEVER FORGET

World Trade Center Attacks

Never forget 9/11 and the World Trade Center.  Many died that fateful day.  Many have died since then in the pursuit and apprehension of the terrorists responsible.  This day was truly an Armageddon in the lives of many millions of families.

Never, ever forget this day.  Never forget the innocents who lost their lives.  Never forget the rescue police and fire departments who died  while trying to save the thousands of people in the World Trade Center.  Never forget the thousands on men and women  serving in the armed forces who have lost their lives in the pursuit of these terrorists.

Never belittle their deaths with the cheap stories of government conspiracies.  Never belittle their deaths with your opposition to the current political administration.

These good Americans lost their lives both during the Attack on America and in the pursuit of justice.

Justice an freedom shall prevail.

NEVER CROSS THE EAGLE!

McCain, Obama remember 9/11 attacks

Candidates halt critical TV ads, appear together at Ground Zero

Recalling the nation’s unity in a time of peril seven years ago, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama placed their partisan contest on hold Thursday and spoke as one in honoring of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

McCain and Obama made ground zero in New York their common ground, joining in homage to the dead from the fallen Twin Towers and the hijacked planes flown into them. The candidates walked down a ramp together to the site where the World Trade Center once stood, and threw flowers into a reflecting pool.

Continue the 9/11 remembrance story here

White House 9/11 Remembrance

President Bush Has Kept Our Nation Safe In The Seven Years Following 9/11

In remembrance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President and Mrs. Bush participated in a moment of silence at the White House and delivered remarks at the dedication of the Pentagon memorial. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, President Bush recognized the threat posed by terrorists and took action to protect Americans and defeat violent extremism. Because of the actions taken by President Bush, America is safer, more secure, and winning the War on Terror. Seven years later:

September 2007: German authorities disrupted a terrorist cell that was planning attacks on military installations and facilities used by Americans in Germany. The Germans arrested three suspected members of the Islamic Jihad Union, a group that has links to al Qaeda and supports al Qaeda’s global jihadist agenda.

September 2007: Danish authorities disrupted a cell, which included an al Qaeda-trained individual, planning terrorist attacks using explosives.

The United States supported the creation of a democratic Afghan government and fostered broad international support for Afghanistan through NATO and the U.N. Afghanistan has ratified a new democratic Constitution with strong protections for women’s rights and civil liberties; held the country’s first Presidential election; and held the first free and fair legislative elections since 1969. Today, six million Afghans are attending school, and 85 percent of Afghans have access to basic health care. The United States has committed over $10 billion in 2008 and 2009 for political and economic development. The Afghan government is preparing for the next round of elections in 2009 with U.S. and international assistance.

Iraq is now a young democracy and an ally in fighting terrorists. The President’s decision to send an additional 30,000 soldiers and Marines into Iraq as part of the "surge" has resulted in improved security conditions that have opened up space for political and economic advances. Iraq has seen meaningful progress, but this progress is fragile and there will be challenging times ahead. This success has fostered the appropriate conditions for Iraqi authorities to take the lead in all security operations for Anbar province.

President Bush persuaded Libya to dismantle its Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programs and renounce terrorism, leading to a normalization of our relationship with Libya. Just last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a historic visit to Libya, making her the highest ranking U.S. official to visit the country since 1957.

The President worked with the international community to isolate the regime in Tehran, and won support for three U.N. Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran because of its failure to suspend its uranium enrichment and other proliferation sensitive activities.

Transformed the United States military to meet the challenges of the 21st century. President Bush provided our military with the tools, equipment, and resources to combat terrorism and other new challenges. We started moving American forces from Cold War garrisons in Europe and Asia so they can deploy more quickly to any region of the world to confront emerging threats.

Strengthened our ability to protect the American people by directing the most extensive security reorganization of the Federal Government since 1947. President Bush and his Administration have enhanced our homeland security and counterterrorism infrastructure through the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), the Homeland Security Council (HSC), and U.S. Northern Command, a Department of Defense combatant command focused on homeland defense and civil support.

DHS consolidated 22 Federal entities and 180,000 employees under one roof to foster a comprehensive, coordinated approach to protecting the U.S. homeland. DHS and FBI, in partnership with Federal, State, and local authorities, created a national network of 66 fusion centers in 48 states to facilitate information sharing on terrorist threats and operational planning.

The NCTC leads our Nation’s effort to combat terrorism at home and abroad by analyzing the threat, sharing that information with our partners, and integrating all instruments of national power to ensure unity of effort.

The ODNI coordinates and integrates and leads the work of the Intelligence Community as a unified enterprise, led by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), to ensure information is shared among intelligence and law enforcement professionals. The TSC maintains the Government’s consolidated list of suspected terrorists and individuals with terrorist links and helps get this information into the hands of State and local law enforcement.

HSC ensures coordination of all homeland security-related activities among executive departments and agencies and promotes the effective development and implementation of homeland security policies.

Modernized the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to provide the tools needed to win the War on Terror and protect America from another attack. This vital legislation allows our law enforcement and intelligence professionals as well as future administrations with the ability to quickly and effectively monitor the plans of terrorists outside the United States, while respecting the privacy and liberties of the American people.

Strengthened our defenses to protect the American people by implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Together with Congress, the President restructured and reformed the Federal government to focus resources on counterterrorism and took the necessary steps to improve the Nation’s homeland security

The President Has Implemented Programs To Secure Our Homeland And Fight The War On Terror

Created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). TSA instituted a process to screen every commercial air passenger in the country, launched credentialing initiatives to strengthen our ability to identify passengers, and expanded the Federal Air Marshal program. We have hardened cockpit doors, armed pilots to defend the flight deck, and strengthened air cargo security.

Enhanced U.S. port security and increased scanning for radiological and nuclear threats. The President coordinated Federal, State, local, and industry port partners through the establishment of formalized Area Maritime Security Committees and Plans that clarify roles and responsibilities. Today, more than 98 percent of all containers entering the supply chain via U.S. seaports are scanned for potential radiological and nuclear threats – prior to 9/11, zero percent were scanned.

Increased containerized cargo screening overseas. We have worked with our international partners to employ the Container Security Initiative in 58 foreign seaports, screening 86 percent of all U.S.-destined containerized cargo being screened overseas before it enters the U.S. supply chain.
Increased border security and interior enforcement funding more than 110 percent and equipped the Border Patrol with better technology and new infrastructure. We have also added more than 8,000 border patrol agents. The Administration has constructed hundreds of miles of fencing and vehicle barriers along America’s southern border and is moving toward the goal of 670 miles by the end of the year.

US troops in Afghanistan remember 9/11

U.S. troops in Afghanistan remembered those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks during a ceremony Thursday at an American base in Kabul, where a top U.S. general said terrorism still remains a threat to the world.Maj. Gen. Robert Cone told those gathered for a memorial ceremony at Camp Eggers that terrorists have struck in London, Russia and Bali, Indonesia since the 2001 attacks in the United States.

“These attacks are reminders that the threat of terrorism is real and still a danger to the entire world,” Cone said.

Cone’s command in Kabul trains and equips the fledgling Afghan security forces — the centerpiece of the American strategy of turning Afghanistan into a country that can defend itself and away from the days when Osama bin Laden used it as a safe haven to launch attacks in New York and Washington.

See the rest of the story here

The September 11 attacks (often referred to as 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Islamic extremists belonging to the al-Qaeda movement upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners.  The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the building, causing both buildings to collapse within two hours, destroying at least two nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania, after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There are no known survivors from any of the flights.

Excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died in the attacks. Another 24 are missing and presumed dead. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 90 different countries. In addition, the death of at least one person from lung disease was ruled by a medical examiner to be a result of exposure to dust from the World Trade Center’s collapse, as rescue and recovery workers were exposed to airborne contaminants following the buildings’ collapse.

The United States responded to the attacks by declaring a War on Terrorism, launching an invasion of Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda terrorists, and enacting the USA PATRIOT Act. Many other nations also strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. Stock exchanges closed for almost a week, and posted enormous losses upon reopening, especially in the airline and insurance industries. The economy of Lower Manhattan ground to a halt, as billions of dollars in office space was damaged or destroyed.

The damage to the Pentagon was cleared and repaired within a year, and a small memorial was built on the site. Rebuilding the World Trade Center site has proven more difficult, with controversy over possible designs as well as the pace of construction. Construction delays, revised cost estimates, security concerns, and public criticism have all lead to significant changes and delays to the final plans in rebuilding the complex.

In the days immediately following the attacks, many memorials and vigils were held around the world.  In addition, pictures were placed all over Ground Zero. A witness described being unable to “get away from faces of innocent victims who were killed. Their pictures are everywhere, on phone booths, street lights, walls of subway stations. Everything reminded me of a huge funeral, people quiet and sad, but also very nice. Before, New York gave me a cold feeling; now people were reaching out to help each other.”

The Tribute in Light viewed from Jersey City on the anniversary of the attacks in 2004  One of the first memorials was the Tribute in Light, an installation of 88 searchlights at the footprints of the World Trade Center towers which projected two vertical columns of light into the sky.   In New York, the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition was held to design an appropriate memorial on the site. The winning design, Reflecting Absence, was selected in August 2006, and consists of a pair of reflecting pools in the footprints of the towers, surrounded by a list of the victims’ names in an underground memorial space.   Plans for a museum on the site have been put on hold, following the abandonment of the International Freedom Center after criticism from the families of many victims.

At the Pentagon, an outdoor memorial is completed, which consists of a landscaped park with 184 benches facing the Pentagon.  When the Pentagon was rebuilt in 2001–2002, a private chapel and indoor memorial were included, located at the spot where Flight 77 crashed into the building.

At Shanksville, a permanent Flight 93 National Memorial is in planning stages, which will include a sculpted grove of trees forming a circle around the crash site, bisected by the plane’s path, while wind chimes will bear the names of the victims.   A temporary memorial is located 500 yards (457 m) from the Flight 93 crash site near Shanksville.  New York City firefighters donated a memorial to the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Company. It is a cross made of steel from the World Trade Center and mounted atop a platform shaped like the Pentagon.   It was installed outside the firehouse on August 25, 2008.

Many other permanent memorials are being constructed around the world and a list is being updated as new ones are completed.   In addition to physical monuments, scholarships and charities have been established by the victims’ loved ones, along with many other organizations and private figures.

Dad wishes to thank Wikipedia and all who have contributed to the ongoing data recording for 9/11.

Please take a moment today, a moment of silence, to pray, to reflect on the tragedy that hit our country on that horrible day.  Then give thanks for the amazing way in which the American people united, came together as one, the eagle, to search out those responsible.  I am proud to be an American!

I pray to God that we never forget the tragedy of 9/11 and the nearly 2,800 people who died that fateful day.

Our people should never have known the pain of a tragedy this great on our own soil.  To that end I am dedicated to pay respect and tribute to the loyal men and women of the U.S. military who give their all to protect our freedom.  They are giving their very lives to ensure this never happens again.

The very next time you open your mouth and you utter anything except the highest of praise for our government and the men and women who serve so well, remember that is a freedom you have that was paid for in blood.  Do not take it lightly.  Do not waste it.

Let the stench of death burn forever in our minds lest we forget the sacrifice of those who have gone before us.  They serve so proudly, so willingly and without question. They are all truly an eternal example of American Valor at its finest. 

My hat is off to them.  My hand is across my heart out of respect for them when I see the flag or hear the national anthem.  They are America’s finest and I thank God for them.