A Night For America

They say you will always remember certain moments in time, and where you were when you hear news that makes history. In 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, I was home from school and in the car with my mom, able to look into the sky and see the smoke and debris. On that horrific 11th day in September 2001, I was in my apartment in Gainesville getting ready for morning class, and watching events unfold on the Today Show. I actually saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center live. In March 2003, when we invaded Iraq, I was in a computer lab taking the GRE in hopes of going to grad school. Now I can add one more; where I was when I heard the news that Osama bin Laden was killed yesterday.

Here in Australia, it was a brilliant day, and some friends and I had driven down to Burleigh Heads to watch a mass of surfers go after some incredible waves. As we approached the car to drive home, I saw two people lying in the grass, holding a small radio that was broadcasting news about the USA. The scene struck me as odd, but I didn't stick around to hear what was being said. It was not until I got into the car and looked at my phone that I found out the news about the firefight that killed the world's most wanted terrorist. I quickly told everyone in the car, and we switched the radio to the news for details. Yet I couldn't help thinking as we drove that I was the only one in the car that was truly shocked, relieved, even downright jubilant about this news. Don't get me wrong, my Aussie friends were happy, but I just don't think they can begin to understand how greatly 9/11 affected all Americans. I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that it changed my life forever. Furthermore, I never thought this day would come.

It gave me chills to watch the news from halfway across the globe and see Americans celebrating in the streets. I've read that perhaps we should have kept quiet out of fear of retaliation, but after all that has happened, didn't we deserve this moment? Especially those in New York City at Ground Zero and those in our nation's capitol? I didn't see one image of destruction or anti-al Qaeda sentiment, only happy faces, patriotic cheers, American flags being waved. This is the American spirit at it's best. We deserve this.

So thank you to our troops who continue to endanger their own lives to protect our freedom, especially my friends Scott and Zach. Because of you, perhaps little people like this will never have to remember a tragic moment in time.

"Let us remember that we can do these things not because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." - President Barack Obama in his address to the nation