The Day Everything Changed

 

As I write this it is the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon in Northern Virginia. It is one of those times when you remember exactly what you were doing and where you were when it happened. In my case, I had been hired by what we affectionally called "No Such Agency" (NSA) in April of that year. I had retired from the Air Force the previous September after 20 years and 20 days of service. And, ironically, I had been attending a counter terrorism measures presentation in the main auditorium of the Maryland complex that morning. The presentation dealt with measures that the agency was going to implement to ensure that terrorism targeting, if there were to be any, would not be successful against our property or personnel. I remember coming back to my office and seeing people running about in obvious bewilderment. As we now know, the attacks had taken place early that morning and we were all trying to make sense of what had happened.

At the time, not knowing how many more attacks could be in the offing, our director made the decision to clear the buildings and send everyone home to ensure we were not a concentrated target. We went home and stayed there for a week while the agency's and the nation's leaders tried to understand what had happened and what they must do next. When we came back to work the following week, everything had changed. Whereas the agency and our government had been in the midst of downsizing, now that would not only be put on hold but more people had to be brought on board to deal with this new threat. 

In the 25 years since that fateful day, much has happened. We went to war, twice, to confront what we thought were those responsible for the attacks (as it turned out, Osama Bin Laden himself could not help but gloat about having orchestrated the whole sordid affair). Many of our compatriots were committed to actions that sought to punish those responsible and, in the words of George W. Bush, bring them to justice. It was not until May of 2010 that Bin Laden was killed in a raid in his compound in Pakistan. To be sure, many mistakes were made in the process including going to war with Iraq, a country that offered nothing more than moral support for the perpetrators. One could say that, with our exit from Afghanistan shortly after President Biden took office, it seemed as though our actions in that country, not to mention the rest of the Middle East, had been in vain. As I often say, however, I believe that when people act in unlawful ways they need to be held accountable. Yes, there might be many more coming in their wake (the same thing happens with drug traffickers), but if one person is made to pay for their crimes, then society is the better for it.

I along with many others believed that and because we did we volunteered to take part in the war effort. From August 2007 to April 2008 I was in training and deployed to Afghanistan to support the war effort. Although I did not participate in combat, being a civilian, I was in country helping those who sought to bring to justice those who were determined to take the country back to the days when Bin Laden had made it his safe haven. During the six months that I was deployed, nearly 50 US servicemen met their demise. Although that is not a high number, certainly compared to others wars, they left behind parents, wives, children, siblings, and friends. Their sacrifice was ultimate and although many may wonder whether it was all worth while, it was not in vain. Because of them, there are less people in the world willing to do what the 9/11 hijackers did.

In his farewell message to his troops, the commander of the US special forces unit deployed to the base where I was stationed, expressed his pride in having been appointed commander over such a dedicated, brave, and commitment group of men. And near the end of the message he reminded them of Shakespeare's words in his Henry V who: "told his small band of brothers that in future years men not there would envy their presence at Agincourt...it was little about the war and everything about having done their duty." Not all of us have had the privilege of having been there. I am grateful, however, that I had that opportunity. 

In the months and years since 9/11 our nation has changed drastically. The initial unity that was the product of the events of that day began to fade rather quickly. Politicians, who at first made a show of unity and camaraderie, quickly returned to the partisanship and backbiting that had characterized them before that day. Our nation is today perhaps more divided than at any time since the Civil War. People who flocked to churches in the days and months after 9/11 have, in great measure forgotten God and why they sought Him in the first place. Nevertheless, that God is still the same God who reigned on that day and every day before and since. Psalm 68:1-3 reminds us of something that we must never lose sight of:

"God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; so the wicked shall perish before God! But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!"

On this 25th anniversary, we mourn for those lost and for what has happened to our country since then. As the psalmist reminds us, however, we also exult before God and are jubilant with joy because He is today, tomorrow, and forever the God who will arise!