Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The Unimaginable Job


After seeing so many facebook posts and pictures remembering 9/11, eleven years later, I still find myself unable to comprehend the horrors of that day.  The horrific loss of life, the fear, the panic, the chaos, the unbelievable.

The unwavering bravery of our first responders, our military personnel, and the ordinary citizens who helped someone in need that day.  

That crisp fall morning, people went to work, not knowing what would happen that day.  The NY firefighters, paramedics, and police officers reporting to duty that morning.  All those people going to work at their jobs in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  People flying to jobs across the country.  Just going to work, just doing your job, another day, another dollar.  And, then the unimaginable.  Terrorist attacks on our country.  

Here is my blogpost I wrote last year about my son's boy scout leader and his co-worker and what they faced that day.  And, what I did not write about in that post was a very dear friend of mine who worked behind the scenes helping to answer all the legal questions that arose from decisions that had to be made immediately; a job that took amazing composure, intelligence and the ability to offer answers without hesitation or wavering.      

So today, September 11, 2012, I am reposting my blog, The Unimaginable Job:

Today, I want to dedicate my blog to the men and women of our military and to the passengers on United Flight 93. on September 11, 2001– the people with the most “unimaginable” job. 
This morning, with my cup of coffee on hand, I checked my email and saw an email from a boy scout in my son’s troop.  The email was titled “A Scout(master) is Brave” -- echoing the words in the boy scout pledge.  The scout posted an article that appears in the Style section of today’s Washington Post (click below to see the article).
here

Police, firefighters, military members, and many other American workers wake up every day knowing that on that day they might put their lives at risk due to the requirements of their jobs.  When they woke up on the morning of September 11, 2001, Major Heather “Lucky” Penney and Colonel Marc Sasseville (Michael’s scout leader) probably had not have imagined their days mission – to fly their fighter jets and take down a domestic passenger plane full of innocent people, by using their fighter planes as a weapon. 
The chilling words I read in the Washington Post this morning – “’We don’t train to bring down airliners,’ said Sasseville.”
Certainly, the passengers on flight 93 did not train to bring down an airliner.
Yet, those were their jobs that awful day.  The jobs of our military members and the job of those brave people on flight 93.  Jobs done to save others. 
Thank you Major Heather “Lucky” Penney, Colonel Marc Sasseville, and all the workers whose jobs it is to protect our country each day.

To the passengers on flight 93, as we say in the Jewish religion, may your memory be a blessing.

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