Miss Updyke's Fifth Grade Class

Ten years ago, America endured the most terrifying and savage attack in its history. As awful as it is to let all those scary feelings come back to be a part of us once more, on this 10 year mark it is something we must do, not just to make sure we never forget the tragedy and loss, but for the incredible resilience of the American will and the ideal it still represents.

Ten years ago, Matthew & Luke Stauber were 5th graders in Miss Updyke's classroom at Cynthia Heights Elementary School. A t.v. in the classroom was turned on when the first hijacked plane hit one of the towers. The class watched as another plane crashed through yet another tower, not sure whether they were seeing an "instant replay" of the first tower, or something else. They soon discovered that what they had just seen was not a rerun. In fact, what they had just witnessed would change their lives and their futures forever. The total number dead in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania was 2977 people, not including 19 hijackers. Even these eleven year old little boys could feel the weight of the occasion.

At the time, these two little boys lives consisted of playing football for the EJFL Titans, basketball for the Cynthia Heights Wildcats and Coach Lindenberg, and baseball at the West Side Little League. Plans for a future as a United States Marine hadn't really taken shape just yet. However, that didn't change the fact that in the next ten years these two young boys would learn more about terrorism than any of us ever fathomed that they would need to. Not many of us realized that ten years later, these two young men would be in the midst of fighting this war.

In ten years we have learned so much about terrorism, yet still understand it so little. It's hard to imagine that there are actually people who have such a hatred for our country that they would give up their own lives just to hurt us. It causes us to realize that our nation exists because Americans had a vision. They believed in the ideal that each and every person should have the opportunity to rise to their fullest potential...the pursuit of happiness. And this vision comes under attack by those who don't agree with it.

So today as we lay flowers on memorials, and bow our heads...as we stop our lives for a moment of silence to remember a loved one, or honor a hero, it couldn't be a bad thing if we each stop to reflect on our responsibilities to one another...as the passengers of flight 93 did ten years ago. Would it be too much to ask to stop the arguing and fighting, and laying of blame? Perhaps America can become united again the way we seemed to be in the days immediately following this horrible tragedy. Maybe we can all pray together, and just decide to support the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for all of us. They didn't decide to become a part of this war on a whim. They take their duty to be a shield for you very seriously...as do their families.

Matthew & Luke, i pray that you are safe today and every day...and so does your dad. Your little sister is ready for you come home...she misses you more than she ever thought possible. You make us proud.

Good To Go,

Proud Marine Mom x2

Ten Years & Many Tears Later

September 11, 2001 was of course a day that changed our lives, our hearts, our country fundamentally. Will you ever forget where you were, what you were doing...surely not. I had actually just gotten out of the shower when my dear friend Lisa called. "Are you watching t.v.? Something horrible is happening." Pointing the remote at the little black box on my dresser that day turned into something I could have never dreamed or imagined. I now had an event in my lifetime that might be comparable to the way my grandparent must have felt when they learned about Pearl Harbor. Or the way my parents might have felt when they learned of the assassination of J.F.K., or Martin Luther King, Jr. The only difference...they learned about those terrible events in our history after the fact. I was sitting in shock watching this happen live. Myself, and millions of others watched as thousands died before our very eyes. I heard a Pathologist on t.v. once say that death under a microscope is merely colors and shapes. I found out that day that death on national t.v. is much of the same...colors and shapes. The limestone of the pentagon, white smoke, black wingtip shoes and brown high heels trying to escape the white smoke, a lush open green field in Pennsylvania, black towers.

As our President sat in a classroom that day, he continued reading the story of a pet goat because he didn't want to frighten the children. As those same children marveled that the President of the United States was actually reading them a story, cowards attacked. These attacks spawned two wars that, to this day, add to a rising death count affecting countless lives. While the mom in me likes to imagine that my two brave Marines are a part of an elite force that can conquer the world on any given day, 9/11 taught me that despite our nation's economic and military superiority on that day in September, we were not invulnerable.

Our ability to share has changed since that day ten years ago. It came before twitter and facebook. It was pre-youtube, and Google was barely four years old. Now we are able to share our memories, our pain, and even our triumphs with a world that back then, couldn't have heard us quite so easily. The motto was "Never Forget", and of course, we never will. The wall to wall coverage you can expect over the next few days will be sure of that. It helps remind me that whatever our differences, we all do love our country, and compared to so many others, we are very fortunate to live in the most extraordinary democracy the world has ever known. We are a people, though scarred, God has continued to bless beyond measure. And though some memories are hard, many of us find healing in sharing. I know I do. Thanks for listening.

Matt & Luke, I miss you beyond words, and you continue to make me proud. Semper Fi.

Good To Go,
Proud Marine Mom x2