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A Call to Unity in Remembrance of 9/11

Today marks a day of remembrance for an event that seems to have happened yesterday. I am sure many of you can remember exactly where you were that day and can still feel the chill that ran down your spine as the events unfolded. I can remember that feeling all too well, and the thoughts that ran through my head. For me it was my first time out to sea on board the USS George Washington off the coast of Virginia.

It all started with a call to turn on the television from our Chief, which was odd in itself, it being during working hours. What we saw was one of the towers on fire, and we were all speculating what could have happened when the second one hit. From that point on, it seemed as everything had slowed down, and we really did not know what would happen next. Immediately, our Captain announced that we would be flying out on our entire fleet of on-board fighter jets and would immediately head to New York City. We did not make it there until late at night, but our crew all woke up to the smoke filled sky.

Day by day as we guarded the skies over NYC, the images of the carnage unfolded, but what we also saw was our country unite and act as one team. It is tragic that it took an event like this to unify our country, but I miss that wonderful feeling. We are nation that has been divided along many lines, and considering the magnitude of the challenges we face, it is time to unite once again.

Coming together to solve our problems is critical, considering we have unemployment at record levels; we have millions of Americans going without proper health care; and we have an educational system that is failing to prepare our next generation to compete in a global society. In the spirit of this day, I ask us all to unite once again and to stand up to politicians whose only concern is to serve the special interests that pad their coffers instead of serving the needs of the American people. Stand with me in unity to reclaim Kentucky’s Fourth District for the people.