Posted on 01/05/2002 4:18:39 PM PST by VaMarVet
The DC Chapter of Free Republic returned to the Pentagon today to pay respects to the victims of terrorism and show support to those who are doing everything in their power to eradicate the forces of evil that threaten us and everything we hold dear. These weekly vigils have become a way of life for us lately. And to a FReeper – we are amazed by the accounts, stories, camaraderie and patriotism relayed/displayed by those who make the pilgrimage to this “ground zero.” Moreover, for those that may think that American patriotism is either passé or a fleeting fad, I enjoin you to spend just one hour on the knoll overlooking the Pentagon. I suggest that you will walk away a better person for it and be content in the knowledge that our great country’s citizens are made of a fiber much like the founding fathers.
As always, hundreds of patriots visited the Pentagon memorial site today and each had a special reason to be there – a friend or family member lost, a sense of duty, a search for some stability in a turbulent time…
For me (other FReepers add you own accounts), two encounters stand out today. First, the family from Pittsburgh who accompanied one of their daughters to complete her efforts at displaying a beautiful memorial signed by one thousand school children. Rosanne took it upon herself to assemble signatures and artwork from Pittsburgh area youths and deliver it to the Pentagon – even more astonishingly – she assembled and delivered one to the WTC site in New York. Quite a young lady and quite the patriot.
The second encounter says a lot about our country. As a former Marine I make a point of chatting up anyone I seeing wearing Marine Corps emblems or insignia on their “civvies”. One fine young Marine relayed that he worked at the Pentagon and was inside on the 11th. Having been safely evacuated he joined other volunteers from all the services to go back in to rescue any survivors. But it did not end there, he still strolls up to the knoll to show respect and support to the country he loves and holds dear to his heart. What made this even more special for me was that this young “soldier of the sea” was adopted by Navy parents and flown to their arms in 1975 from Vietnam as an infant. His soon to be FReeper screen name is DevilDog0341 and when he gets logged on please welcome him to our fold.
Still uploading the pics – will post soonest to this thread.
Thanks again to all the DC freepers for doing this every week. With so much attention going to NY the good people that died at the Pentagon and in Pa. tend to get overlooked and need to be remembered.
I was there in my heart with each of you !
WELCOME HOME !!!!
Thank you for serving this country and it is an honor to meet you.
Semper Fi
...were UNFORGETTABLE for me.
NEVER FORGET
...St. BARBARA of America = St. JOAN of Arc...
BUT---since you're a newbie, it's your turn to get the coffee!
And a great big THANK YOU to DD and all the FReepers who went out to the Pentagon. Wish I could've been there too, but TX is just too far away for that.
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