In his recent article at Slate.com, world affairs pundit Christopher Hitchens suggests that we’d be wise not to forget why the U.S. is in a long war against Islamic 
terrorism…
“…we don’t have the right to forget why we are in Afghanistan and Iraq in the first place: to make up for past crimes of both omission and commission and to help safeguard emergent systems of self-government that have the same deadly enemies as we do and to which, not quite incidentally, we gave our word.”
September 11, 2009 is at hand – the anniversary of one of the most devastating attacks ever on American soil. But, according to media reports, it seems we’re losing track of the fact that 3000 innocent American lives were lost when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers – as well as the Pentagon, and a remote field in Pennsylvania.
In wars past, a massacre often became a rallying cry for Americans:
“Remember the Alamo!”, “Remember Pearl Harbor!”, “Remember the Maine!” (the battleship attacked in a Cuban harbor at the start of the Spanish-American War).
I propose a rallying cry for the ongoing war against terrorism:
“Remember New York!”
I’m sure I’m not the first or only one to propose such a motto. But lately, it seems we need it more than ever. With economic woes overshadowing “interest” in Afghanistan, Americans seem to be forgetting we’re still locked in mortal combat against an ideology that wishes to destroy us. Every one of us. For them, it’s only a matter of time.
So where does that leave us on 9/11? Are we really so collectively short-sighted that we don’t remember New York City?
I served in Afghanistan in 2007. There were HMMWVs with New York City skylines etched on their turrets, emblazened with the words, “Never Forget” or “I Love NY.”
Today, public sentiment seems to be decidedly against such a remembrance. To me, this is sad. It means 3000 Americans died for absolutely nothing.
They didn’t die for peace – for we are far from peace with the Islamic radicals who still spread fear and oppression to many in places like Afghanistan, the Sudan, Chad, Pakistan and many other Muslim countries. (Bear in mind that al Qaeda and the Taliban have killed more Muslims than non-Muslims in the name of their terrible jihad. The Quran absolutely repudiates this as immoral.)
They didn’t die for tolerance – for al Qaeda is no more tolerant today than they were in 2001.
They didn’t die for progress – for the Taliban have undermined whatever progress we’ve fought to bring to the many Afghans who can’t read, have no schools, no medical care, and no hope for a better life in their impoverished country.
What are we to say to the souls of those Americans who died simply because they had to go to work?
Shall we tell them we don’t care about Afghans or anyone who doesn’t happen to be American? Shall we tell them that freedom only counts when it’s our own freedom – the freedom to be apathetic?
Or shall we tell them we’ve forgotten about them? Their families will never forget. And neither should we.
Make no mistake – radical Muslims will continue to spread hatred against whatever they don’t control. Their ideology won’t stop, merely because we wish it to go away. It will not stop by simple diplomacy – this has been tried. You cannot hold rational discussions with irrational megalomaniacs. We could not talk rationally with Hitler, and we should not expect to be able to do so with Osama bin Laden or his followers.
Yes, I said it – I compared bin Laden with Adolph Hitler, the genocidal maniac of Nazi Germany. Like Hitler’s followers, bin Laden’s followers execute anyone who dares to stand up to them. The Taliban, bin Laden’s partners in evil, likewise terrorize Afghanistan in the name of what should be a holy religion. It’s the darkest form of evil imaginable – to kill, oppress and terrorize in the name of God.
Trust me, the terrorists will continue to celebrate September 11, 2001 as a great victory.
They will not forget. And neither should we.
Jeff
(For more insights about terrorism, Afghanistan or my story as a soldier, 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.)
This is my first visit to your blog and I wil be back to read your words again.
~AM
Thanks for the encouragement AirmanMom. Congrats on the new arrival in your family!
If you enjoy following my line of thinking, I invite you to click the “RSS” button at the top right of my blog pages, so you can receive live feeds of new posts when they go live…
Yours in service,
Jeff
Jeff,
This post is amazing…Thank you for writing it and not allowing people to forget. I think that many people need to be reminded on a daily basis of why we are in Iraq and Afghanistan…Also, thank you for your service to our country. I hope someday in history, people will look back on this time and realize the sacrifices the men, women and the military families made…while the rest of America kept right on moving, with barely a pause to honor those who let us carry on.
Thanks Katie -
I’m just one of many who’ve committed themselves to protect our nation here and abroad. But I know I speak for all of them in expressing gratitude for your heartfelt support.
The fact that you took the time to share your thoughts – especially at such a young age, when it’s easy to be too busy and self-absorbed for these things – gives me great hope that the future we’re fighting for will be left in very capable, compassionate hands.
Hope you’ll keep following my blog!
Yours in service
Jeff
With 9/11 already a week behind us, the 9/11 headlines have subsided. I wanted to share this sweet piece published on tampabay.com today about a soldier reuniting with this three kids at their schools during a surprise break from Afghanistan. Sweet story and touching photos to go with it. Take a look:
http://tinyurl.com/nsofz3
Thanks for the heads up, Karen. Great article about a military family facing real life. It’s not easy for anyone in the equation. Glad there’s still some space in the press for good news about soldiers.
Jeff
I posted on another site this statement, or something similar to it: we may never “win” the war against extremism, any more than we can win the war against cockroaches, but we can damn sure control the pestilence.
I was in Iraq when the war in Afghanistan was being forgotten. Despite what we faced there I could feel that we (the galactic “we”) were being distracted from what I called the “more just” war in Afghanistan.
We cannot just turn and run, and not just as a matter of international pride. I worry that any slow withdrawal of troops will place my friends in danger. I worry that if we don’t get our hands around this problem now it will grow in our absence and we’ll deal with it on a larger scale later.
I have some opinions on Iraq that don’t always jive with what my fellow veterans believe, but I can say that we need to sustain the fight in Afghanistan.
-Dacker
Dacker – we need more thoughtful vets like you speaking up. These choices aren’t easy. And I’m certainly no fan of war for war’s sake. But if we don’t do something, I fear others will determine our fate for us.
I can tell you this – my experience with the Afghan people and with my fellow soldiers was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. What we’re doing there is being appreciated by folks who have no voice and are victimized at every turn.
Jeff
Hi Jeff, I heard that even Google is offering a platform for stories to be told about that day. I haven’t gone there yet and even writing about my own story was difficult and moreso in sharing it but I also asked that we allow the continued fight against terrorism. I do not want our children to bear witness or be affected by such a horrid act either. Good points.
Thx Gin – I hope those who lost loved ones or colleagues on 9/11 realize how many people remain deeply committed to ensuring that such an event never again occurs on this planet…
Jeff