Friday, September 10, 2010

The First Time – Part 2


It was the first time that the American mainland had ever been attacked by an external enemy; the first time that a combat air patrol had been launched to protect an American city; the first time an order had been issued to American military aircraft to shoot down American airliners should they fail to respond and enter restricted airspace. 

We were fortunate that Adults Were in Charge as those events unfolded.  The broadcast media will be filled with 9-11 documentaries during the next couple of days.  Last night I watched a good 2-hour production shown on the History Channel where many of the decision makers of that day were interviewed.  It would probably be a good idea to pick up a CD of that program or a another like it and have it on hand for future reference.  December 7, 1941, is hardly acknowledged these days.

It hasn’t taken very long for us collectively to forget much of what happened on September 11, 2001.  The responsible adults in charge in 2001 were hugely challenged to lead during those long hours of uncertainty.  And they did a marvelous job.  The old saying goes, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  We can do without these kinds of firsts.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

so we invaded a country that had absolutely nothing to do with the attack on 9-11 and that was sound leadership?? All 9-11 attackers were from saudia arabia.

Gus said...

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