Sunday, September 11, 2011

Looking Back at 9/11


We all know exactly where we were on this fateful day ten years ago.  I had flown from London to San Francisco just one day prior and was staying at my favorite hotel in beautiful northern California.  It was just after 6:30 in the morning when the phone rang in my hotel room.  It was my wife, Robyn and her uncharacteristically anxious voice came over the line, “turn on the TV.” What unfolded on the screen in the hours that followed was simply unfathomable. And yet out of all the horror and destruction that ensued came a sense of pride and heroism never before witnessed by a new generation.  Never have I been so proud to be an American – a decision I made at the age of 27 when I took a vow to love and honor this country.  As I continued to watch the incredible heroism of fire fighters, policemen and everyday people who put everything on the line for their fellow citizens, I wondered at how they were so selfless under such circumstances.  It’s hard to imagine.

For the three days following the attack, having no air traffic available, my colleague and I drove across this great country meeting kind and generous people at every turn - people who would do anything and everything they could to help us reach our loved ones on the east coast.  It was a journey I will always remember and one which fills me with incredible pride as I reflect on the goodness of people and the vast beauty of our countryside.

As a toddler in London during WWII, and in my service to both America and Great Britain, I have experienced many conflicts and I have worked and lived in many parts of the world; always with a curiosity about what causes such hatred and strife to exist.  And now more than ever I ask myself how this current state of affairs all began.  Where did these terrorist factions come from and what motivates a person or group to commit such crimes against humanity?  I am aware of some of the answers to these questions as a result of my experiences in Southeast Asia, Africa, the Mid-East and Europe, where I spent much of my time as a young man.  I have firsthand knowledge of world events and in some cases, the foundation on which this hatred is born. I have set forth some of these ideas in my latest book, The Final Doctrine

You see, I have found over the years that in order to understand where we’re heading, we must first understand where we’ve just been. Particularly in America, people must realize that not everyone thinks as we do. As much as our fellow citizens wish to be fair minded and reasonable when it comes to the acceptance of other cultures and ideas – other countries are not as accepting of our western way of life.  One must remember that the idea of America itself is the single most powerful concept human kind has ever produced.  As Americans we need not apologize for our prosperity, nor should we ever consider being brought down a notch to appease others.  In addition, for those who feel the word “terrorist” and in particular “Islamist terrorist” isn’t appropriate terminology for this day and age – simply turn on your television today and listen as the names of 3,000 of our fallen heroes are read, in many cases by the children who will never have the opportunity to know them.

Take a long moment today to cherish your loved ones and reflect on how fortunate you are to be an American. We live in the greatest place on earth, a country where freedom and liberty prevail - without restriction or dictatorship; a country where those who are unable to comprehend the power of our constitution and the resolve of the American people, are free to pursue other shores.