September 11

On my way to work this morning, I listened to a discussion about what FSU's College of Law would be doing today to commemorate 9/11/01.  In the discussion, the host of the show asked the guest (who is a preacher) if he felt it was important to talk to his children, who were not alive in 2001, about this day.

This question led me to think about our child and what I think we should tell her.  Having not discussed this with Ray, I cannot speak for him, but I feel certain that he will agree with me when I say that explaining what happened eleven years before she was born is extremely important.  Of course it's important to teach her history, and the English teacher in me feels compelled to urge her read as much as possible about it.  It was a terrible day for our nation, but it was also a day that we all laid down our differences.  I have the most distinct memory of watching the members of Congress stand together on the steps of the Capitol singing, "God Bless America."  In today's political climate, that's hard to imagine.  But in addition to those reasons, I feel it's important to teach her for a much more personal reason.

The events of September 11, 2001, are the basis for Operating Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and, of course, the all-encompassing Global War on Terror.  As her father is a veteran of both OIF and OEF (and, therefore, GWOT), I think she should know what led to his personal decision to join the military.  And she should know the history of the conflicts in which he fought.  I will leave the discussion of his decision to join up to him as it is much more than just the events of 9/11, but I want to do my best to help her to understand why our country chose to go to war.  Naturally, as she gets older, these discussions will become more involved than just "bad guys killed many innocent Americans," and will need to include the politics of war.  I look forward, too, to her having access to many of Ray's buddies who will be able to offer her their perspectives on all of it.  These men are so alike in so many ways, but their views on the wars, the cultures, the politics, and everything else are so very different.  No pressure, Wolverina, but if you get a school assignment on this, I'm expecting an A+.  :)