Having reached my half-century mark just this year, I don’t have a “remember where I was” moment for Pearl Harbor or JFK. I do remember it was snowing when President Reagan was shot. I was driving when the Challenger exploded. A soldier friend called me from the Middle East to tell me they pulled Saddam out of a hole. I remember where I was standing when my dad got his new heart. Many events stand out in my mind, but none with the clarity and emotional attachments of nearly every moment of my day on September 11, 2001.
Speaking to contributors this month about their experiences brought back the sense of incredulity of the day, which is why I also sought out a person who was not even born at the time. I hoped, and was pleasantly surprised, that what our young people know about one of our saddest days is not just the shock, but the hope that followed. It gives me hope to believe we are still teaching those values because we remember how united we all were in those early days; we smiled at strangers and couldn’t bake enough cookies for first responders… how much love and gratitude we felt just by virtue of living in the United States.
Speaking of hope, we have two stories about Brookwood in Georgetown; their growth, and all they provide for our neighbors with special needs. Teaching their Citizens about their own inherent value and all the things they have to contribute to this world is nothing short of amazing.
I am thrilled to showcase our local astronaut training company (yes, we have one!), Opifex. I did get to try on a bomb suit a long time ago, but still wish I was 30 years younger so I could get into a pressure suit and be a part of the space program we will likely have in the next few decades thanks to Barton Bollfrass and those like him.
We’ve also added some new columns this month that I hope readers will find as helpful as they are interesting. I’m told my prime directive is also to make it fun, so I will continue to do my best with humor, and plenty of things you might not know or won’t believe.