On the second anniversary of 9/11, a temporary memorial marks the site in Shanksville, Pa., where United Flight 93 crashed.
I could not wait to avenge the deaths of the men, women, and children of Sept. 11, 2001. The fact that [President George W. Bush] wanted to wait and form a “coali- tion” was completely unacceptable to me. All it did was give the enemy time to dig in and hide whatever and whomever from capture and death. … I felt and still feel that the USA is being treated as a fat cow by everyone and needs to reassert itself as a fair but no-bullshit nation. I am totally surprised that our nation has not suffered another major attack and because of our “great” border security, I fully expect an attack at any time. —Lt. Col. Jack Christensen, USA-Ret.
I was asked by my local Rotary Club to speak at the next meeting after the 9/11 attack. … My talk was perhaps not what was expected by the members who knew of my long military affi liation. I suggested to them that while the urge for vengeance and forceful response was under- standable, what I saw was a need for a longer vision and action. Indeed, it was evident that there was, and in many ways still is, a wide cultural and economic gap between the Western world and the “have-nots” of the Middle East. There was and is a similar abyss between the West- ern world and the African countries as well. …
86 MILITARY OFFICER MONTH 2005
As hard as it was and is to swallow, responding in
force to the 9/11 attacks is only a temporary measure as we have seen via the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. While we fi nd it diffi cult to turn the other cheek and off er aid, that will be the only lasting solution to animosity. That is a hard sell to people who have sustained losses from that animosity. Such approaches are also very diffi cult to sustain as we see in the problems associated with sus- taining even domestic problems … but in the long run, it is the only way.
—Capt. Daniel W. Christensen, USN-Ret. PHOTO: CATHERINE LEUTHOLD/CORBIS PHOTOS/IMAGES: TKTK
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