WHY? by: Brian Vess

Why
By: Brian Vess
August 13/14, 2007
September 11, 2001, a horrific attack was made on the United States of America in New York, New York on the World Trade Centers. Along with the fall of these amazing sky scrapers, another plane loaded with terrorists from the middle-east was crashed directly into a side of the Pentagon. Many inocent people, including moms, dads, aunts, and uncles were killed in the attack. This caused the President to put the USA into a state of emergeny.
I was at outside with some of my fifth grade friends, on our daily nature walk that our teacher took us on in the morning, when the attacks took place when all of a sudden, my teacher rounded us up and back into the classroom. None of us really knew what was going on until she rolled the television in front of the classroom and had us sit down and pay attention. After watching replays for about an hour ifinally started to realize how bad this really could be seeing how my mom is in the Army branch of the military. I then began to go into a shock state and worrying about what is going to happen while watching the replays of Osama Bin Laden making his speech and the planes crashing into the towers.
After returning home I began to talk to my mother and asking how people could do something like that. As the replays of the plane crashing into the towers and people jumping out of the building to their death, from as high as a 120 stories to escape being burned to death, played in my head I began wondering what was going to happen next. " Are we in danger? " I asked my mom as she continuosly assured me that everything would be okay and that it will get better, but I was smarter than that, i knew it was going to do just the opposite, get a whole lot worse.
I am now 16 and I am going into the eleventh grade. My mother is still in the military at this point and as a matter of a fact she is in Kuwait as I speak. Like I said, it was going to get a whole lot worse and that is exactly what it did. My mom is on her second tour into the middle-east but, this time President Bush raised the minimum your of duty from 12 months to 15 months so my mom was able to see her son turn 16 and won't be able to see her son turn 17 either.
Although situations out in the middle-east are horrible, my mother still loves her job in many ways. As a matter of fact, she tried to re-enlist recently. She agrees with many of President Bush's decisions on the war although I do not. She is a die-hard soldier, she believes in fighting for what she believes in, no matter how much work it takes.
Every single day that goes by, you hear about these horrible things happening in the middle-east on the news, but yet they hardly ever talk about the good things that happen, like when they liberate a city or make a successful 300 mile mission across borders. My heart pumps rapidly every time I hear of something bad going on over in Irag or Afgahnistan while at the same time I am praying the my mom, or any soldiers in that case, were hurt badly. It's just not right for the reporters to do that to all of us family members back here on the home front and get worried more than we need to be.
Although my heart goes out to all the men and women fighting overseas for our independance, that is not all i think about. Like most kids, I love sports and music and technology but there is a bigger picture inside of that. I pray for all soldiers around the world, not just the ones fighting, but I also pray for other people to. Like a week ago, a mine collapsed in Utah while, six miners were working and there has been a rescue opperation going on for nine days now. Although many people believe that the miners are dead, I believe that they could still possibly be alive. I pray for the miners and their families every single day and it hurts me when even people on the news say that the believe that the miners couldn't have survived, but I still believe.
My mom has been in Kuwait since May of this year and by all means, I'm sure that she is getting fed up with everything, but she continues driving on. I would like to believe that her inspiration, and driving force, to continue pushing is not me, not my family, not our dog... but more like the great nation known as the United States of America. This is a big burdon upon the shoulders of soldiers in the middle-east, but I believe that another driving force is re-uniting the Iraqis with their rightfully deserved freedom.
Although I talk alot about pray for all the soldiers that are away as we speak, I also pray for the families of the soliers and the soldiers themseves that have died in combat and not only in this war but every war that has kept freedom ringing. I also pray for all of the folks that died in the attacks in New York City and the attack in Washington D.C..
Many people have lost their lives since the "War on Terror" began. Bush made a very important decision in going to war againts the "faceless cowards" who struck against the US but I am not sure if it was exactly the right decision. Although something had to be done after that massive attack leave many dead, I just believe that the Bush Administration should have taken more time and studied the situation from every perspective.
" It sounded more like the scream of a missle than an airplane" said a man to the reporters on Good Morning America moments after the first 727 hit on the west tower. The man couldn't believe that it was an airplane that hit the tower, " it may have been a jet or something, but it was no private plane " said the man a few seconds later. "Oh my god.... run!" said a lady in the background as the second plane hit the east tower. These quotes were caught on tape as the planes made the devistating plunge into the towers of the World Trade Centers.
On December 4,1941 the Japanese flew across the pacific ocean and attacked a naval base at Pearl Harbor. Later that day the President of the United States gave a speech in which a famouse quote came, " this day will live in infamy". This quote has never been used to descride another tragic day in the histor of America. If you ask me, I believe that September 11, 2001 will also be a day that will live in infamy!
September 11,2001, a day that has changed many live for the better, but at the same time, for the worse. Since this day the people of the USA have been more patriotic than ever before and it has certainly changed my life. How about yours?


My nephew wrote this and I asked if I could share. Keep in mind he is 15 years old.

My Frogs

This is Panda. He/she is a fire belly toad. We just say it's a her cause it is Autumn's Frog.... That's my g/f's daughter. I believe Panda thought it was waterslide and wanted to go for a ride..... HEHEHEHE