Last Wednesday our nation paused to pay tribute. It was on Sept. 11, 2001 when terrorists attacked the twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth plane apparently headed to the White House or Capitol building never made it thanks to the heroics of passengers on board who lost their lives saving others.
It's been called the Pearl Harbor of another generation. Everyone knows what they were doing when word spread that the United States was under attack.
I, like many, thought the first plane that hit one of the Twin Towers was an accident. When the second plane hit, reality set in. The events of 9-11-2001 changed the world in which we live.
I remember hearing about the first plane hitting the twin towers on television getting ready to come to work. I actually heard about he second plane listening to Rick and Bubba on the radio.
The world stood still that day for most of us. People gathered around their television sets wanting updates and wanting news. The news we got was not good. We were under attack.
As the hours rolled, we either saw or heard that the Twin Towers had crumbled to the ground killing everyone inside, including hundreds of first responders who entered the building for one purpose – to save other people's lives.
A lot of innocent lives were lost that day; those in the planes and those inside the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
But it was the lives of the firemen, policemen, emergency personnel and others who rushed into the burning towers to never return that really touched the hearts of the American people.
Last Wednesday, on Sept. 11, 2019, I attended the 9-11 breakfast at Little Escambia Baptist Church in Flomaton as I have for many years. The church and its members provide breakfast for our first responders to simply tell them 'Thank you for what you do'.
There were policemen, sheriff's deputies, ambulance drivers, helicopter crews and more. There were elected officials and others who do their jobs because they care about others.
As I get older, I don't need to set an alarm clock to get up and go to work. But I'm sure plenty of alarm clocks went off for members of Little Escambia Baptist Church that morning to have the breakfast ready to eat at 6:30 a.m.
Over the years I've heard a lot of people take the microphone to talk to the crowd. I look around at people I know. Police officers, firemen and other first responders and every year this breakfast makes me take a step back and think about what they do every day to help keep our community safe. Like the firefighters that entered the Twin Towers, we have people living in our own communities that go to work not really knowing if they will return to their families. Over the years I've watched firefighters enter burning homes, I've watched police officers enter situations that could go terribly wrong in a split second. I can honestly say I've never seen one hesitate to do what he or she needed to do to help somebody else.
Last Wednesday, Flomaton Elementary School Principal George Brown was the guess speaker. He told the story of how he was raised in a family that turned out educators and principals. He told those first responders that his son doesn't want to grow up and become a school principal; he wants to grow up and become one of them. He may not know now whether he wants to be a fireman, policeman or emergency technician, but that's the path he wants to take.
The members of Little Escambia Baptist Church do a great thing every Sept. 11 to pay tribute to the many men and women in our communities that put their lives on the line every day to make our lives safer.
You can rest assured, they don't do it for the money. They do it because it's a calling to help their fellow man.
We all get into the giving spirit around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the people we are trying to help need that help in July and August as well.
I know a lot of police officers, firefighters, ambulance drivers and others who serve in the military. It's great to honor these men and women at such events like I attended last week.
But when all the flag waiving and ceremonies stop, they are still out there every day working to make our lives safer.
The next time you see one, simply tell them 'Thank you'. It means a lot.
