Osama

September 11, 2001

is a day that I will never forget. I was nine years old.

I woke up and saw my mom watching the news... She was crying.

I didn’t understand why... I didn’t get why everyone was so upset.

As I grew up I realized that it was a whole lot more then planes crashing into buildings.

Despite all the tragedy, there are so many heroic actions and stories to be told.

After the terrorist attacks many answered the call and enlisted to fight for our nation, for the citizens who were killed, and for our freedom.

To those who answered the call and have served in the war

THANK YOU.

The media here has portrayed the war so negatively...

I once heard a soldier who served say, “ If you really want to know what is going on in Iraq or Afghanistan, don’t turn on the TV, as a soldier.”

I have watched my Dad do this time and time again.

It seems like whenever we travel we see soldiers.

My Dad always strikes up a conversation with them, and learns more about them. (My brothers and I even bet about how much money he’ll give them to buy their dinner) Out of all the soldiers he’s ever talked to, I don’t think one of them has felt like we were waisting our time.

We only hear about the bad things happening.

However, I bet the people of Iraq feel differently.

Why else would they risk their lives to go vote?

Why else would they display their purple fingers with pride?

Don’t believe everything that you hear on the news.

Condoleeza Rice came to BYU this year and spoke at a forum. She said something that I thought was quite profound. She said, “Today’s headlines and histories judgement are rarely the same.” I think history will judge what happened with the war in Iraq differently then most people do right now.

Finally getting Osama Bin Laden was HUGE.

"I've never wished a man dead, but I've read some obituaries with great pleasure."

-Mark Twain