Bin Laden Has Left the Building...

I don't wax too political in this blog. I don't usually pour over items in the news. But this particular news story touches me on many levels and I feel a need to share a few of my feelings as this ugly story continues to unfold. To that end...here goes.

September 11, 2001 I was driving to work. I had my radio on listening to Chris in the Morning on WMAL, a Washington, DC radio station. As I neared work the reports came that a plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center Towers. I pulled into the parking garage and hurried up to the first floor where CAPREIT's offices were.

My employment at that time was as Executive Administrative Assistant to the three Vice-President's over Operations. My 'office' was a large cubicle outside the offices of the three VP's and this was all situated right next to the office of the President of the company with his Administrative Assistant having a cubicle in front of his office.

As I entered these offices, things were already astir. The only television in CAPREIT's offices was in Dick Kadish's office, the president of the company. Fortunately he had a big office. We all began to gather in there to watch his television. A second plane hit the other tower. Dick sent our IT guys out to buy a big television for the conference room.

It became apparent there were other planes out there, one eventually hitting the Pentagon. I tried to call Claude who worked at the Peace Corps headquarters in DC not terribly far from the Capitol. All cell phones were down, the lines were jammed with thousands of people trying to call and they just didn't work. I was finally able to get an eMail through to Claude and he responded very quickly that he was okay but he was really 'on duty' right then. He didn't know how, when or if he would get home that night.

No work was accomplished that day regarding CAPREIT. We all watched, observed and learned through stunned eyes and minds. This just couldnt' be happening in America. But it was and the proof was right before our eyes.

Not long after these events, the Washington, DC area was stuck by these two gun men killing at random. One of their first victims was right near where I worked. It was way too much to try and absorb, yet we had to. I remember getting out of my car quickly to start filling my car with gas and climbing back into the drivers seat and ducking down while my car filled with gas. It was a very nerve racking time.

Suddenly the new catch word was 'terrorist'. We had heard it before but now it was right at our doorstep, not something in a far away land. The name Osama bin Laden and the word al-Qaeda were now common in our vocubulary.

Sunday, May 1, 2011, Pres. Barack Obama made a televised speech stating Osama bin Laden had been killed. Claude and I were already in bed and I didn't hear this news until the next morning when I checked my computer for eMails. There it was. I went upstairs and woke up my hubby by turning on the television to see the news report. Our television would remain on all day.

My feelings are these:

1)  I'm grateful this one person is not here anymore to stir up his brand of evil. However, I wonderful if there is a mother somewhere that is proud of her son or aches for his behavior. I have felt that the only way this man would ever be taken down was by death. I never felt he would 'go into custody'. Such was the nature of his crimes against humanity.

2)  I'm grateful we gave him a proper burial according to his religious beliefs. While others have railed against the fact that he didn't allow thousands this courtesy, I'm a firm believer that we don't ever make the situation better by stooping to the level of those who caused the trouble. Respect should be shown, even if it is not given to you. So I feel good about us taking the high road with his burial.

3)  I do NOT feel we need to see pictures of bin Laden after his death to 'prove' he is dead. First, those images will stay in my head forever. I don't need any more ugly images floating around up there. Second, I believe it would be fodder for those who still hold to bin Laden's standards. They will use it as propaganda to stir up more hatred for American's. I truly to NOT feel these photos need to be given to the public, EVER!!

4)  I'm grateful for a brave military who have trained and prepared themselves to perform this type of operation with as little collateral damage as possible. I found this simply amazing. These military personnel are to be commended for all they did in this instance and in so many others we probably know nothing about. Thank you!!!

5)  While I did not vote, nor will I, for Pres. Obama, I will give him credit where credit is due. The decision to make this attack was made by him and it was a good one. I cannot fathom the difficulty of choosing to put young people in that kind of harm's way. Life is so very precious and it must be a most grueling decision for any President. He did carefully, from all reports, process the information received and thoughtfully made the decision he felt was best for all Americans. He did a good job with this call and for that he has my respect.

6)  I appreciated the care that was taken to ensure we all knew this process took place with tiny bits of information over many years. It was not just one person who should receive all credit. While history will record, and rightly so, that this occurred on Pres. Obama's watch and from his direction, he could not have gotten to that point without a lot of other people over many years preparing for this point in time. It was genuinely a good thing to hear that kind of credit shared.

7)  I do feel we must be diligent still. Just because one man is gone does not mean that kind of evil is now obliterated from our lives. It is not. Others will seek to take his place, some will be successful and others will not. But that kind of evil is now and will be a part of our lives. All my life we have had military stationed around the world for the protection of those of us living in the United States. I believe that will need to continue to some degree.

I wanted these thoughts for my own record. Some will agree with me and others will not. That is part of the American dream. That freedom to think things through and come to your own conclusions. However, these are my thoughts and feelings.

How grateful I am to be an American by birth.