Never Forgetting 9/11 Video

President George W. Bush on 9/11

President Bush on 9/11: This Is the Face of War in the 21st Century

H/T: Politico

On Going Down into the Bunker on 9/11

H/T: Politico

Karl Rove on the Fog of War During 9/11

 H/T: Politico

Presidential Photographer on 9/11

H/T: Politico 

Air Force One Pilot Remembers 9/11

Despite President George W. Bush's persistent entreaties to return to the White House on the morning of September 11th 2001, the Secret Service would not permit the Commander in Chief to return to Washington for fear that he might be a target. There was chatter about "Angel" (which is the code word for the Air Force One) being next. 

So after departing Sarasota, Air Force One flew to Barksdale Air Force Base, in Shreveport, Louisiana. 

Air Force One's pilot Col Mark Tillman, wanted to make sure that the aircraft had a full tank of fuel as it was unsure where the President would go next.  A civilian argued that 14 hours of fuel was only for a time a war, but a Air Force Master Sergeant, impressed upon the crew that we are in a time of war.

H/T: Politico

George W. Bush's Candid Reaction on 9/11 World Trade Center Disasters

H/T: Politico

Andy Card on 9/11

As the world looks back on the atrocities of September 11th 2001, we forget that it was a different world. In Farenheit 911 (2004), Michael Moore mocked how President George W. Bush continued to read "My Pet Goat" to a group of schoolchildren in Sarasota, Florida as the Twin Towers burned.  But a Politico magazine article of oral histories of 9/11 points out how scant communications were that day.  Cellular technology was not as prevalent and it was challenging to get media while out of pocket.

President Bush went about the pre-planned No Child Left Behind event when his Chief of Staff Andy Card whispered in his ear about the second plane crashing.  President Bush remained calm and continued reading, knowing that he could do nothing immediately with imperfect information.

The Truther of Donald Trump Comes Out in GOP Debate (sic)

Republican 2016 Presidential hopeful Donald Trump came into South Carolina with a substantial lead.  During the debate in Greenville, South Carolina, Trump felt that he had enough swagger to liberally share his vitriolic views.

Trump displayed that he was not a conservative in step with the pro-life movement as he parried with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) about abortion.  In response to defunding Planned Parenthood, Trump insisted that the organization does lots of good things for womens' health.  When Cruz pressed him, Trump demurred but said that he was against abortion.  Sure. Federal taxpayers can pay half a billion dollars to keep the lights on at Planned Parenthood clinics and finance the loss leader of condoms 

But the most telling truth from the evening was a colloquy between Trump and former Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL).  The moderator asked Trump about his harsh critique of the Iraq War.  Trump reiterated his assertion that he always opposed it and that it was a stupid war that costs trillions of dollars. 

Jeb stepped in to defend his family's honor and legacy.  As Trump interrupted and insulted his favorite foil, Trump then charged that the terror attacks of 9/11/2001 were "W''s fault as they happened during the 43rd President's watch. 

If any conservative needs more proof that Trump is not one of them, this should have been a crystalizing moment.  To question the wisdom of invading Iraq is one thing that a war weary America may countenance, but blaming the Bushes for a terror attack-- that's Alex Jones 9/11 truther territory.  This is the sort of tripe that loony liberals with loose change rattling around in their head spew. 

Trump trolls will love the fight, no matter what.  If Trump keeps to form, he should double down on his outrageous invective, as crazy charges scored big earned media that kept him in the headlines in the past. That may not work this time.

People are voting. Particular states are having primaries.  For Republicans, the next prize is South Carolina which is a conservative state with a strong continent of military veterans. This bold bombast against the Bushes charging that their beloved former commander in chief was responsible for a terror attack is not a natural play.  It sounds like the muck from looney liberals and crackpots (not necessarily one in the same group).  

Implying that Senator John McCain was a (R-AZ) a loser for being a POW held in the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War may have worked in the dog days of summer when 16 Republican Presidential candidates vied for attention.  Will it work as voters choose from the final handful a week before casting the ballot?

It seems that the Trump Train is driven by momentum and pointing to polls.  Trump's graciousness after the Iowa Caucus only lasted a day because Trump went out of the headlines.  That's why he seized on being Ben Carson's champion for supposed "cheating". How magnanimous of Trump to help out his good friend, who he implied was pathological like a child molester in November 2015. Trump could sweep the field if he wins big in South Carolina. But if Trump fails again, that would kill momentum for the Nevada Caucuses and the nine state SEC primaries, where it is difficult to use celebrity events and outrageous earned media to triumph. 

9/11 Reflection on Red Bandannas and Teamwork

 

 While there is nothing new about Welles Remy Crowther's aphorism from his high school yearbook, the way that he put the maxim into action in his life was remarkable.

Welles Crowther was a lacrosse player in secondary school in Nyack New York and later for Boston College's varsity team.  Crowther was associated with always wearing a red bandanna, a penchant he acquired as a child.   Due to his smaller stature, Crowther was physically overmatched by his competitors, but made it up with enthusiasm and teamwork.

Off the field, Crowther also embodied the heart of a servant.  Crowther joined the volunteer Fire Department at age 16.  Even after landing a job as a equities trader, Crowther expressed an interest in changing careers to join the New York City Police. In fact, a partially completed application to the NYFD was eventually found in Crowther's apartment

On September 11, 2001, a 24 year old Welles Crowther was at his office on the 104th Floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center when the first airplane struck the other building.  That horrible event prompted him to put his professional pursuits aside and channel teamwork.  Crowther was on the 78th floor Sky Lobby of the South Tower when the second plane struck.

Crowther striped to a t-shirt and wore a red bandanna to cover his nose and mouth. Crowther immediately acted as an impromptu team leader to rally the walking wounded to a functioning stairwell.  Survivor Judy Wein remembers hearing: "Anyone who can walk, get up and walk now. Anyone who can perhaps help others, find someone who needs help and then head down." Crowther was seen carrying a woman on his back. He  led them down to the 61st floor where they were met by First Responders who got them to a functioning elevator on the 40th floor and the rest of the team escaped the towering inferno.

After escorting people down 16 flights of stairs, Crowther ascended the stairwell again to help more "team mates". Crowther's group of First Responders had the "Jaws of Life" and were prepared to lift debris to help trapped victims. According to survivors,   Crowther's remains were found with other firemen who were on the 78th floor Sky Lobby when the South Tower collapsed.  Crowther's courage and teamwork may have saved a dozen lives.




Crowther's story might have been lost in the alluvia of fragmented memories of 9/11. But six months after the atrocity, the New York Times published an account from a survivor who remembered a detail about a mysterious man with a red handkerchief organizing a makeshift triage.  This red bandanna memory gave Crowther's grieving parents some solace about their son, simultaneously  providing closure and confirmation of  their son's solid character.

In 2006, Welles Crowther was posthumously named an honorary New York Fire Fighter for being a 9/11 Angel. Boston College sponsors an annual Red Bandanna Run for the Welles Crowther Trust. The American Heroes Channel will soon award an Inaugral "Red Bandanna Award"  for exemplifying the American spirit during a nationally televised Boston College football game on September 18th.


So often, sports can become base, reduced to a boxscore, vexing whether the home team will make the playoffs or speculating about the latest New England Patriots scandal.  But sports can be much more than those pedestrian pastimes.

As we reflect on the anniversary of 9/11, Welles Crowther's exemplary life shows the deep values that can be derived by sports. Welles Crowther's dedication to teamwork was cultivated by coaching on the field but was inculcated into his life.  Crowther not only thought of others at a tragic time, but was conditioned to rally and help "team mates" at a test match of life.

While the cynical may smirk at the truism that "There is no 'I' in team",  Welles put that principle into practice sacrificing his life for the sake of others.  Those are the virtues which make sports meaningful.

h/t: ESPN

Honoring the Heroics of 9/11 First Responders

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a Union General who was awarded a Medal of Honor for his gallantry during the Battle of Gettysburg.  Gen. Chamberlain's profound invocation of a Civil War cemetery in 1889 gave solace to a Russ Kleat, a  soulful First Responder at Ground Zero after the 9/11 Islamist terror attack on the World Trade Center.

It is easier to mourn the loss of 2606 lives lost in an instant as the Twin Towers imploded.  But there are many First Responders who made it out alive but who have been mentally scarred and physically impaired by their dedicated service. 

It seems just that the New York Fire Department has been gradually adding names to the 9/11 Memorial Wall of First Responders who have fallen due to illnesses related to their efforts after 9/11.

The valiance of the 9/11 First Responders gives new poignancy to Gen. Chamberlain's invocation.  I will think of the line "the mystery of grace" now whenever I see photos of the Tower of Lights remembering 9/11 victims.

Jon Bon Jovi on the Future

In the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks of 09/11/01, stunned stars hastily put together a televised Tribute to Heroes.  Jon Bon Jovi's acoustic rendition of "Living on a Prayer" had a raw earnestness which captured the zeitgeist of that uncertain American future. 

 

Remembering 9/11 Victims

A dozen years ago, two planes were hijacked by jihadist terrorists under the direction of Osama bin Laden and they were deliberately flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.  Within two hours, both towers fell, killing 2,118 civilians in the building, 147 crew and passengers from American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 along with 11 hijackers.

Here is raw footage with raw sound from that chaotic day in lower Manhattan--

New York City chose to memorialize all of the innocent dead by creating a park with two waterfalls in the footprints of the Twin Towers, building a 1,176 foot high One World Trade Center (originally designated the Freedom Tower) and a$600 Million  museum to memorialize the horrific day.

There has been some controversy concerning the 9/11 memorials at Ground Zero in NYC.  It took over a decade to erect a new building which was meant to show American resolve.  The signature new World Trade Center building legally changed its name from the 102 story $3.1 Billion Freedom Tower to accommodate a 21 year lease with Vantone, a Chinese commercial realty company.  The 9/11 museum drew fire for featuring the jihadist hijackers "for the  historical narrative".  Some have complained that political correctness has gone made at Ground Zero erasing anything heroic, patriotic or influencing the narrative.  Atheists even tried to exclude a cross formed by two steel beams in the WTC collapse that gave many Ground Zero rescue workers solace, but fortunately courts denied this claim.



On September 11th 2001 at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 flew into a first floor western facing wall of the Pentagon.  The crash killing 125 people on the ground (including 55 civilians)   53 passengers, six crew and five jihadist hijackers

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (third from right) assists with the injured at the Pentagon 9/11/2001

.The 184 victims of the attack on the Pentagon were honored in an outdoor memorial on the southwest corner of the Pentagon which was designed by Julie Beckman and Steve Kaseman with 184 illuminated benches arranged by age and whether they were in the building or aboard the terrorist hijacked aircraft.




United Airlines Flight 93, the Newark to San Francisco scheduled flight with a crew of seven and 33 passengers was hijacked by four jihadist terrorists.




The passengers revolted against the hijackers after learning of the other hijackings. Flight 93 crashed in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania.  It was  believed that had the jihadist hijackers prevailed, the plane was headed to crash into the US Capitol.  But in 2009 a high ranking al Qaeda detainee revealed that Flight 93's specific target was  White House. Whatever the case, these heroic passengers were first conscious US combatants in the War on Terrorism.



There was some controversy with the original design of the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The memorial originally was supposed to include 40 groves of red maple trees shaped like a crescent.  To quiet the debate, the 93 foot Tower of Voices has 40 wind chimes and a grove of 40 red maple trees which circle the walkway, following the bowl shape of the former surface mine.

As time has passed, the September 11th 2001 attack could fall into the recesses of memory for many Americans directly untouched by the fanatical atrocity. May we always remember the 9/11 victims and never forget the American virtues which made US a target of those wishing to establish a world-wide Caliphate.

Rudy Giuliani on 9/11

The Celebrity in Chief's New Political Plank

September 19th was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a fanciful faux holiday where people are encouraged to blurt out buccaneer phrases in casual conversation.  To wit, President Barack Obama tweeted this picture.

While it is kind of cute for Mr. Obama to participate in this visual joke.  But it took time and planning for the Celebrity in Chief to set up for this Pirate picture.  This same week, President Obama made time to appear on Late Night with David Letterman to face tough questions from the host such as "Have you seen me naked?"

Later, Obama went to a fund-raiser with Beyonce and Jay-Z which included a $280,000 tower of champagne.

When does President Obama have time to govern, or even attend a daily National Security briefing?

READ MORE at DCBarroco.com

9/11 Tweets from Presidential Candidates

These were the morning messages from the major Presidential candidates on Twitter for September 11, 2012.

Well, at least the incumbent managed not to use the pronoun I in his 140 characters. But it shows his priorities as well as sensitivities.

Remembering the Heroes of 9/11

George W. Bush on 9/11

Those sentiments honoring the fallen and rescuers can be seen in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrrorist attacks of America as our 43rd President rallied the nation on the burning heap of Ground Zero at the former World Trade Center.

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