Why did we all sit back down?

All those years ago, My teammates and I played a small part in responding to OUR NATIONS darkest hour. We were deployed to Manhattan to provide field hospitals at various points around "the pile". However, we all have many, many stories. I want to share just one. It's about pride. Pride in our country, pride in our diverse culture, pride in our ability to make things, great things, pride in how the world viewed our nation, pride in the fact that no matter what happened, America would do the right thing for the right reasons. We stood our ground, not because we were bullies but because we protected those who could not defend themselves. Our Flag STOOD for something...it was a symbol of hope and prosperity—a symbol for truth and justice.

I remember driving into work for my first shift at ground zero...it was in the late afternoon. The RI Disaster Medical Assistance Team (RI-1 DMAT) was first headed to our staging area at the Manhattan Community College to get work assignments and do command shift change. I was leading Bravo Team, while my Dad, Tom Lawrence, was leading Alpha Team. Each team had around 35 highly trained and motivated professionals ready to help. We would do this again during the responses to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike, and Sandy. As we drove down the West Side Highway towards ground zero, I remember feeling a little anxious as I looked out the window. I could see the smoke coming from the rubble pile in the distance.

An overwhelming sense of pride quickly replaced that feeling. Pride in our Nation, STANDING as ONE! You see, out the front windshield was our darkest hour. But the side windows of our vehicle was hope. Standing 8-10 deep, as you would see at a Fourth of July parade, where everyday Americans. They were not Black, White, Asian, or Hispanic; they were Americans. They were standing as ONE cheering for us. They were holding signs and waving the American Flag. I've never seen so many flags. This went on block after block all the way to the perimeter checkpoint. So much pride in what America is about. I wanted to get each member of our teams an American Flag Sticker for their Helmut. I couldn't buy anything with an American flag on it in Manhattan, let alone a sticker. It couldn't be done! I called friends back home .if it had an American Flag on it, it was not available. It was like that all across the country. I called JT Dunn, one of my friends and customer, and he had nothing. However, JT printed us American Flags on adhesive label paper using an inkjet printer. Somehow He got them to us. We had to use IV Tegaderm to keep them from running when it rained, but we had our flags and could show our pride. I still have that helmet with the Flag stuck to it.

The 9/11 terrorists attacked the American Way. They attacked our values they attacked our pride. As a NATION, we STOOD as ONE. Whether it was my teammates and me working to provide medical care at ground zero, or the Americans lining the streets holding signs and waving flags. People like JT Dunn for going above and beyond to make something happen, or the little boy on the street in Manhattan who asked for my autograph...because first responders were his "superheroes." We all STOOD as ONE...We checked on our neighbors, and we smiled at one another, we talked to one another. We were UNITED. We were UNITED as ONE NATION.

Why did we all sit back down?

Please, take a minute to ponder that simple little question. Today is a day that we should reflect and question what has changed in American? Ask yourself, what can I do to serve others?

How did we forget to STAND as ONE, UNITED in doing what is right for each other?

This article is dedicated to my teammates who have passed as a result of 9-11 illnesses. Your service and sacrifice was not in vain. I will never forget.