Posted on 09/15/2001 11:24:25 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
I wrote this letter last night to my grandfather, he is in his 70s, he came up through the depression and world war II. I don't know why, but I felt uncontrollably compelled to write the following letter to him, to place into words the feelings and thoughts that have overwhelmed me since September the 11th. I realize now that this letter is really to more than him, it is to all who sacrificed throughout the history of this great nation, those who created, defended and built it over the years.
I humbly submit this for your reading, with a deep and heartfelt gratitude to those who came before, and with great sadness and kinship to those who this tragedy touched directly.
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Gramps,
I fear the dogs of war have once again found their way to the shores of this great nation. I have lived in a time when such hazards and threats have remained for the most part far away issues, or history lessons. This was without question a result of the great sacrifices you and those of your generation, and the generations before endured for this great land. We have spent our lifetimes in a state of relative peace and prosperity that granted us privilege and opportunity beyond any known previously to human kind. In many ways, we had taken it for granted, human memory it seems is shorter lived than human hatred.
I have always been proud, proud beyond the pale, and grateful beyond words to have been born in this place, in these United States of America. I have always in all my memory felt the lump in my throat whenever I have heard the Star Spangled Banner. I have always known, that this nation offered hope and opportunity not only to those born here, but to all the world, of a better tommorrow. That we, as a nation, are without equal in this world. Yet in spite of all this, in spite of all of this and much more that I have held dear my entire life, I must admit that I had forgotten, or perhaps, never truly understood, just how connected I as an American, and as a man, am to my countrymen.
I cannot logically explain this connection, it is not tangible, it is not measurable, it is not visible, but it is without question strong. It is as strong as any bind I have ever known. On September 11, 2001 my countrymen were slaughtered, they died in an act of abject evil. I knew none of them, yet somehow I knew every one of them.... They were my brothers and sisters, they were family.
The emotions I feel run even deeper than that, for this attack, while taking place in America, was indeed an attack against far more than these United States. It was an attack on the principles and foundations of modern civilization itself. This is, to me, unquestionably about the future of the world.
I watch as the world with very few exceptions unites and rallies, in a solidarity and scope unmatched in recent times. That lump in my throat now gives way to openly flowing tears when I hear played the Star Spangled Banner these days. I watch as foreign nations express their condolences and commitment to stand with the United States in the arduous and uncertain task that lies ahead, and pride and profound understanding of just how far reaching and how great this nation truly is in the world hits home as never before.
I put my son to bed at night, I kiss him on the forehead, tell him I love him. I find myself glancing over at my wife at 3am, asleep on her pillow, and I know that I... we.. America, humanity itself cannot allow this to stand. I find myself asking only one quesiton these days, what can I do?.. It is not a question raised of fear of what may happen to me, but out of knowing for certain what will happen to us all if nothing is done.
The path ahead is uncharted, dangerous and unyielding. There will likely be no Battle of Gettysburg, no Crossing of the Potomac, no D Day along this particular path. This path will indeed test to its very foundations, the committment of the American spirit, and the depth of human character. It has already reminded us that the price of liberty, is indeed eternal vigilence.
I know without reservation, that while the path may be uncharted, we shall reach the other end. We can no more allow this evil to dominate the world, to destroy us, than our fathers and grandfathers could allow the Axis powers to take over the world.. we can no more allow this to tear us assunder than our forefathers could let civil war do so... we could no more allow our yearnings of liberty and freedom be denied by this, than we could allow it to be denied by the British so many years ago.
11 score and 5 years ago, our fathers brought forth in this world a new nation, concieved in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. We have proven that nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. This is the legacy we inherit, and it will be the legacy we leave for our children as well.
Thank you Gramps, and to all that lead the way, in the big and small ways. The flame shall continue to burn.
I love you, give our love to your wife. God Bless You, and God Bless America.
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