Hello and welcome to my first post on my blog here on Townhall.com. I would like to share with you the "commemorative speech" I wrote for my Com 103 class last semester. As a college student of the young age of 32 I have somewhat of a different perspective than the mostly 18-24 crowd that populates most of my classes. While most of them did speeches on things like weddings, anniversaries,etc, mine took a more political stance. I commemorated 9/11. For the record I am not a professional speech writer and the following words are all mine. I am also glad to say I received an A grade on this speech.

            On September 11^th 2001 I was working at Method Electronics doing remodeling work. A fellow worker and I had heard on the radio about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. It was just about time for our coffee break so we decided to go to a nearby Kmart to see if they had the news on any of the display TVs. When we arrived to the electronics department there were about 15 people watching what would be burned in all our memories forever. We arrived just in time to see the first tower collapse. I remember arguing with some other people that this was not a simple plane accident or air traffic mistake. This was history in the making; this was an act of war. We knew at that moment that we faced a terrible and vicious enemy, an enemy who cared nothing for the sanctity of life or the significance of freedom.

 Patriotism was at an all time high following September 11^th 2001. Americans united in one chant. Find those who threaten our freedom and never allow this to happen again. We were then given a flood of information. We began to learn about our enemy, and yes let us not mince words they are our enemies. We learned that they do not hail from one nation as all of the previous opponents of freedom did. They adhere to a radical view of a theology that places their beliefs above the lives of innocents. They felt that their message of hate was more important than the lives of three thousand innocent men, women, and children, people who had no impact or significant role in international politics and religious indignation. We knew then that we faced a long and bitter challenge. We knew then that the road to preventing another 9/11 would be difficult and rock strewn path filled with many pitfalls and dangers. We accepted this challenge willingly. We believed the slumbering giant had been awoken.

 Today, almost six years later, our country seems to have forgotten that terrible day. Of course we have not forgotten the terrifying images of the planes exploding in a fireball into the sides of the towers. We have not forgotten our hair standing on end when we watched those mighty towers fall in a cloud of dust and debris. What we have forgotten is the sense of resolve and unity we felt as a nation on that fateful day. The slumbering giant had not awoken. It had merely swatted at an annoying fly buzzing around its ear and fell back into a fitful sleep. Instead of waking in a roaring rage, the different parts of this giant are squabbling over when and how to react. Instead of waking up and closing the window allowing flies to enter, it remains on its back arguing with itself.  In doing this we are not honoring the lives of those lost on 9/11, we are not honoring the lives of our service men and women that were lost in the resulting conflict. We are disgracing them.

 I pose a challenge to you. When thinking back on 9/11 remember not the sadness and despair of that day. Recall not the fear and confusion. Instead remember the feeling of pride and dignity the city of New York displayed in recovering from that tragedy. Summon up the image of the brave men and women of the Pentagon saving the lives of their fellow soldiers. Recollect the firm resolve of the police officers and firefighters who instead of running out of the World Trade Center, courageously ran in. Remember the daring nerve of those on Flight 93 who did what they had to to save the lives of innocents on the ground. With these memories of valor we cannot be satisfied with a feeling of false security. We cannot sacrifice liberty for complacency. We must understand that in our darkest hours, America has always stood in the face of evil unashamed, unabashed, and most certainly unafraid. We must scream to the world with not just our voices and minds but with our hearts and very souls ‘I am an American and I will not tolerate one more assault on my freedom!’

 Understand that we have just begun on that dangerous road we started on nearly six years ago and it looms ahead of us still for many miles. Understand that while we have hit many of those pitfalls, twisted our ankles, and scraped our knees that if we stand by the courage of our convictions we will not be defeated and will rise up once again and keep walking tall. For if we stray off of that road and give up to take a clearer path we see off to the side, we are not just taking an easier route, instead we are giving up on justice, morality, decency and most importantly we give up on those lost on 9/11. Our enemies have not forgotten that day my fellow Americans, for all that is good and just neither can we.