[ArCoLoG2]

Well as some of you know, I'm in the Coast Guard, been in since Aug of 2000...I had recently completed my school for Avionics Technician and had started working on my qualification as flight mechanic...

There we were that morning half way done with an inspection on one of our seven helicopters, when someone said a plane crashed into the World Trade Center. As most, I figured it was a small Cessna or something taking off from La Guardia and had troubles...Then we heard a second had crashed...We kept working in more of a quicker manner...Once the first tower fell, I don't think there was a person that wasn't in our lounge watching the TV in horror. Then it became evident what we had to do, we all ran back downstairs and started putting helo's back together as fast as humanly possible, while not being able to concentrate because our minds were trying so hard to make sense of the current events. We sent 2 helo's up to NY within 30 minutes. I still cry to this day sometimes when I think back on it, I can hardly stomach the video clips of the tragedy.

I think many people in this country have lost the realization of what happened 3 years ago. For those few months after, the American people were ONE, and supported the decision to go overseas and do what we HAVE to do. Now there's a change of heart, and I think that the media needs to give the country a re-awakening. The people fighting the war overseas joined the military knowing what could happen some day, they still chose to join, no one is over there against their will. This is coming from someone that has a **** load of friends and co-workers serving over there as we speak. (Yes the Coast Guard goes to war too)

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Dave