Photo By Lance Cpl. John Hitesman | Battalion commander Lt. Col. Patrick J. Cashman, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment,...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELARAM, NIMRUZ PROVINCE, Afghanistan — On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, more than 3,000 Americans lost their lives when the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists in New York City. Although it happened on U.S. soil, the impact was felt around the world. Even today, the memory of this tragedy still brings grief to people everywhere.
To mark the date eight years later, Marines and Sailors with Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment organized a ceremony to remember the men and women who died that fateful morning.
The battalion chaplain, Lt. Randal K. Potter, began the service with a prayer followed by the playing of the national anthem.
Following the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Staff Sgt. Michael K. Eason, the battalion administrative chief, read aloud "America Remembers," a narrative describing the time line of the 9/11 attacks.
The Marines, Soldiers, Airmen and civilian contractors who attended the ceremony stood with somber faces and in silence, recalling where they were and what they were doing that sunny September morning when the world changed.
"The world, as we know it, has changed forever," finished Eason, before stepping out from behind the podium. Cpl. Nicholas J. Shell, a communication Marine and lay leader for 2/3, stepped into his place to read a memorial scripture. When Shell was finished, Lt. Col. Patrick J. Cashman, battalion commander, moved to the podium.
"Chaplain Potter may have set somewhat of an impossible bar for me this morning," Cashman humbly said. "I cannot and will not attempt to memorialize or summarize the most traumatic and brutal event in our recent history. I am not up to that task. A eulogy for 3,000 working men, women and children dying in flames — crushed, burned, entombed forever — requires something greater than one man talking."
Cashman said all he can do for his Marines and Sailors is try to answer "why we fight."
The commander spoke of hypothetical situations and real history that lead up to the attacks on 9/11.
"While many of your countrymen may prefer to ignore the wolf, to pull the covers over their heads and pretend he doesn't exist, even stridently insist that the wolf is really a good dog despite all the evidence because they wish it to be true," he said. "You, instead, don't rely on the good manners and mercy of the wolf, but instead face him in his den.
"We fight because given the choice between fighting and subservience, we choose to fight. Just as we always have," he added.
When the CO finished, the chaplain retook his position at the podium and requested a moment of silence before ending the ceremony with a prayer. Taps was then played bringing the service to an end.
Americans serving here, both military and civilian, memorialize those lost on 9/11 by their hard work and dedication every day. For them, it doesn't take a ceremony or a song as a reminder about why they are far from the comfort of their own homeland.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2009 08:12 |
| Story ID: | 39320 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELARAM, AF |
| Web Views: | 365 |
| Downloads: | 158 |
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