In an age of collective attention deficit disorder, how soon we forget. Did you notice? Only two weeks after 9/11, the news and events surrounding that milestone 
date have dropped from the radar. And yet, this year was supposed to spark a new level of awareness.
Eight years after the tragic Al Qaeda attack on U.S. soil, President Obama declared 9/11 a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Citizens around the country marked the occasion in many ways, while troops in Afghanistan organized a special run.
TRAINING DAY
I remember 9/11/01. Like many other people, my life changed dramatically after that day – when I decided to leave my corporate job and actively pursue ways to serve my country.
So here I am – 8 years later. And ironically, instead of spending 9/11/09 remembering 9/11/01, I spent the day in training. Military training.
From 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, I helped ROTC Cadets learn basic military skills for the Army. We traveled to a National Guard training center, where we rappelled down a wall, navigated an obstacle course, and scaled a confidence course.
It was an exhausting day for the cadets, but it introduced them to some essential skills that warriors must develop if they’re going to be effective leaders after graduation.
Why didn’t we spend the day in thoughtful remembrance? As I drove home from training, I wondered this myself. And then it dawned on me that 9/11/01 changed everything for our military – including our attitude about training.
ESPECIALLY our attitude about training!
What better way to remember 9/11 than to train as deliberately and vigorously as we can? Hopefully, our efforts will help ensure that another 9/11 never happens again.
THE VALUE OF MILITARY TRAINING
Training is forever. And it’s for real. It doesn’t stop – even to remember the horrific events that led us to armed combat with Muslim terrorists in a conflict that continues today. This has become the new “normal” for today’s military. And I believe that’s wise.
Training is what prepares us for eventual deployment – for the first time, or some of us, the second, third, fourth, or even fifth time. This is what ensures that we’re always combat ready – so we’re equipped to face those who use terror to oppress their fellow Muslims and non-Muslims, alike.
And God forbid, it equips us to face any others who might aim to attack our country in the future. Training is what keeps Soldiers alive when we’re called to battle.
We honor those who died on 9/11/2001 by training to fight against those who attacked us, and would gladly harm us again. I can’t think of a better way to honor those who were killed or injured by events eight years ago than to train – so it never happens again!
Therefore, even if public attention has shifted to other topics, I’m heartened. Because, no matter what day the calendar says it is, for Soldiers, there’s always a share of remembrance in everything we do.
Jeff
(For more insights about what it’s like to be a military trainer at home and in Afghanistan, check out my book, “Afghan Journal: A Soldier’s Year in Afghanistan.” Learn more at the Afghan Journal website. Or order it at Amazon.com.)
