14 Years Ago

What happened on this day 14 years ago, I believe, influenced our son and made him what he is today.

Everyone, on this date, remembers where they were when the towers fell. We were at the "happiest place on earth", Disney World. Although on that day there was nothing happy about it.

14 years ago, the Preacher, our son, who was 6 years old, and I spent the week at Disney World. On our last day we decided to take the boat from our campground, Fort Wilderness Resort, to Wilderness Lodge Resort to eat breakfast at one of the restaurants there. We were watching the news before we left and we just happened to see the first plane hit the first tower. Not thinking to much about it, we went on to the boat ramp. There we were greeted by a few other people making their way to the resorts and they were asking us if we had seen the news. When we arrived in the hotel we then were greeted by a woman who was so distraught that she had to be carried by two other people. The big screen TV was on in the bar and there were several people watching the towers burning. Breakfast was eaten in complete silence. Upon returning to the boat ramp, we were told by the boat captain that we would not be allowed into the parks because they were closing. We knew things were bad, because Disney doesn't close for anything!

On our way back to our home in south Florida, we listened to talk radio. Of course nothing was on except what was happening in New York, at the Pentagon and in a remote field in Pennsylvania. I also received a call from my mother explaining that my brother was in Texas and could not get home due to the closure of all airports. She was very worried about him. The Florida toll road was completely open, there was no one in the toll booths to take your money because in emergencies the turnpike is open. It was a very eerie feeling driving throught the toll gates. During that 3 hour ride home we knew that America and the lives of so many would never be the same.

Upon listening to all of the news during that day and then the reports of the war that followed, our son soaked it all in. You try to shield your children, but the reality of it all still gets by you and they know that something isn't right.

I believe that during all of that, our son decided that he would, someday, be one of the many who would stand up and fight for his country. He would be there to take down terrorism, to save his mom, his dad, his friends, his home, his church, his community and his country.

13 years later our son raised his right hand and took the oath to defend the office of the Presidency, and the United States of America. 14 years later he is stationed on a base here in the United States being trained for what may lie ahead, and in another year may be deployed to go and fight and defend this great nation.

I ask that you pray for our son, pray for all of the sons that have fought for you, for the sons who are fighting today, and for the sons that will be fighting in the future to keep this land of ours free.

Thank you and Love from the Preacher and I