September 11, 2001

Or "Americans, Unity and Black Armbands"

by Uncle Hiram

I hope Yall will understand, but I found it impossible to write the column that I had planned for this week. Instead if you will allow me, I wanna discuss the horrors of this week.

Tuesday morning I drove to work like I always do. As I was pulling into the office parking lot, there was a news bulletin that an airplane had struck the World Trade Center in New York. I couldn't help but think "What a tragic accident." I got my stuff and stepped outside for a smoke. One of the ladies that works in our computer room walked up and said a second plane had hit the towers.

I didn't believe her, she must have misunderstood the newsman. It wasn't possible. There is no way two planes could accidentally hit a single building on the same day.

A few minutes later I got in my truck to start the day. Then the plane hit the Pentagon. The horror struck home, we were under attack. I went straight to my father's house only a mile or so from the office. We sat together and watched the horrific scenes from New York and Washington, DC. We could not imagine it getting worse, then the word came of the Pennsylvania crash. No sooner had that begun to sink in, than the first tower collapsed. At this point my mind shut down, I could no longer process the information on the TV screen.

The rest of the day is a blur. I know I did my work, but I can't remember any of it. It is just too much for a simple man like myself to understand.

I have in the past written about some of the sadness that has visited my family. I have written short stories about the horror of Pearl Harbor and World War Two. As I sit here watching the news and try to write about the pain we are all feeling right now, I feel inadequate. There are not words strong enough to express my horror, sadness or anger.

As we begin to fully understand the depth of this attack on our way of life, we need to harness our fury. We need to find out who did this and punish them and the nations that aided them. We don't want to lash out in anger and harm innocent people.

There are already reports of angry Americans attacking other Americans because they were of Middle Eastern ancestry. There have been Mosque's fire bombed and shot at in Chicago, Dallas and other cities around our nation. THIS MUST STOP!!!

We are Americans, we don't attack our neighbors because of their religion or because of where there parents were born. We have been attacked by an Enemy who wants to divide us. DON'T LET THEM DO IT!!!

-Adios and Keep Smiling and God Bless America
Ssgt. William D Hocutt, USAF, Retired

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