Coming Home: American Freedom Is Paid for a Thousand Different Ways

PJ Media ^ | 27 May 2019 | Salena Zito

[Rummyfan]

No matter where you lived in America on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the story often begins with a sapphire sky filled with airy, white clouds that perfectly contrasted against the expansive blue, a picture-perfect backdrop shattered by the deadliest attack on American soil in the country's history.

Nineteen men trained by al Qaida boarded four passenger aircrafts that morning, seeking to carry out a devastating coordinated attack aimed at symbols of American freedom: the World Trade Center, the Capitol and the Pentagon. Three hit their target. Flight 93, the plane targeting the Capitol, crashed in an isolated field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, thanks to brave passengers who wrested control of the plane from the hijackers. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives that day, 400 of whom were New York City's first responders.

Taylor Cleveland and Victor Lewis are two people whose lives were changed by the terror attacks. They were separated by geography, age and life experience, but for them, 9/11 proved to be a common call of duty to serve their country. The Washington Examiner spoke with them about their service.

[Rummyfan]

U.S. soldiers, part of the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) walk west of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi, File)

[SueRae]

She is correct. And she has a way of introducing the public to individuals such as these 2 unforgettable men. She seeks them out and tells their story. And I am grateful for her. I always read her columns.