Honor the Fallen-Never Forget 9/11/01-Uphold the Standard

?

I experienced loss first-hand when a Trainee in my Basic Combat Training company at Ft. Jackson, SC lost his life on that tragic day. He had been “chaptered out” for failing to adapt to the Army life, and had been a “Jack-In-The-Box” on the bleachers in front of the Company Orderly Room as Cadre came and went for what I recall was an entire week before 9/11/01. He was on one of the aircraft that slammed into the WTC, simply trying to get back to his family and the civilian lifestyle which he was familiar with. This immediately and forever shaped the scope and trajectory of my 20-year Army career. The token reasons for which I had enlisted such as: family legacy of military service; GI Bill; high school “burn-out”; and the Lord’s calling.

?I would go on to serve in OIF 1 and OEF, losing exceptional Brothers-in-Arms along the way. I never saw them die in front of me. Rather, I would hear about their loss from friends, read about it in a newspaper while on vacation, or find their names on a 9/11 memorial website. They met the Almighty in different ways; IEDs; “freak” sandstorms in the Trans-Sahara; a helicopter being shot-down; firefights- all while answering their Nation’s call to bring evil men to justice. All this to say that 22 years later, I still get emotional and read various accounts, pull up their photos, and attend ceremonies in order to preserve their memory and honor their sacrifice.

?So it goes without saying that I was expecting a 9/11 Memorial Ceremony in the Nation’s wealthiest county to be professional, tasteful. I could not have been To be honest, this was the most disappointing, least-inspiring, and least respectful ceremony I have ever been a part of in my 40 years on this planet. What do I mean by this? Allow me to elaborate:

I arrived 15 minutes prior to the start of the 9/11 ceremony, and immediately noticed a police officer in a commander/captain/chief capacity literally putting on his dress uniform right there in plain view of everybody, with his subordinates all standing around him and his unmarked squad car in the very first “Reserved” parking spot nearest the memorial. He was putting on his tie, and with a cavalier attitude either complained or bragged that he “does this every year” (or something to that effect). Some were on duty that day, as evidenced by their tactical uniforms; others were already looking sharp in their dress uniforms, carefully and respectfully holding their various flags. The police Sergeants and volunteer firefighters were ready to perform this honor; their leader was not.

?I then stood in a line of Vets wearing their VFW caps, I myself dressed in all black wearing a black “Army- Retired” ball cap. To make matters worse, the Loudoun County Fire Department Rep was unprepared as well, and as he passed in front of us from left to right to take his place in the Color Guardpast all of the spectators looking quite disheveled, his dress jacket completely unbuttoned as. There was no guest of honor to provide inspiring words, and what seemed like a mere 3-minute speech was wholly uninspiring. No mention of the exact number of innocent Americans who were murdered in cold blood; the reason/s for it; etc. Instead, political talking points/catch-phrases/keywords were used. I was disgusted. I was responsible for the Honor Guard at the 82nd Airborne Division, and always ensured that Taps was rendered with the utmost respect, even if it meant double-checking a young Paratrooper’s trumpet to ensure they had fresh batteries and had knew the movements, queues, etc. in the event that Taps could not be played with a real trumpet. I am glad the person playing Taps was out of sight, because not only did he/she hit some wrong notes, but they actually got “stuck” on a particularly “raw” part for what seemed like eternity, and it sounded like a balloon deflating. It was gut-wrenching.

?I was honestly thankful that there weren’t any children attending this ceremony, as it was the WRONG way to honor the victims of 9/11/01 and the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Global War on Terror that would follow.

My blood was boiling, and my military background told me that this probably wasn’t the first time that they had presented themselves so poorly. I wanted it to be the LAST time, and for them to know fellow Americans are still very much connected to 9/11, 22 years removed. I wanted them to know that WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

So what did I do? I confirmed with a fellow Vet who the Mayor was, noticed that she had a free moment, and approached her. Although I was visibly upset, I managed to explain in detail what I had witnessed in just the first 10 minutes upon arriving at the event. The Mayor grew impatient (judging by the look on her face), and asked me what I wanted her to do about it. As bluntly as I could, I asked her to speak with the heads of the Police Department, Fire Department, etc about these issues and “tighten their shot group”. After the ceremony ended, I didn’t see the Mayor engage these representatives (although I could be mistaken). I wanted to be sure I would not be “blown off”, so I asked the Police Chief/Commander/Captain to speak in private, away from his squad car and out of earshot of his subordinates. I proceeded to tell this gentleman my story, what I had observed, how it was a disservice to the uniform, the 9/11 victims, and set a poor example for his subordinates. I left him with a recommendation that if he is going to show up late in the future, to park in the very back corner park, put on his dress uniform, and walk up “ready to rock”. He listed intently, didn’t interrupt, and replied with a simple “got it”.

?Veteran’s Day is quickly approaching. ?I would like to both challenge and encourage all U.S. Veterans to not accept these sorts of SNAFUs as I described above, but to tactfully engage those responsible with “spot corrections”. Tell the civilian Mayors, Police Chiefs, Fire Department Chiefs your stories. Tell them why it is important that they do these ceremonies with dignity and professionalism. I have been retired off Active Duty for nearly 2 years now, and refuse to accept the rationale/excuse that “Americans who have never served just don’t get it; they aren’t like us”. Bologna.

?Professionalism is not reserved for and experienced solely within the military community. If we stay silent, then we accept the status quo and perpetuate the type of unsatisfactory, disgraceful ceremony which I have described above.