Like many of you, I didn’t get a lot of sleep Sunday night after hearing news that the world’s most wanted criminal, Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9-11 and dozens of other terrorist acts across the world, had been shot dead in a raid of his million dollar hide-out in Pakistan. The last thing binLaden saw in this life was an American Navy Seal pointing a gun at his head inviting him to surrender and when he refused, received a bullet in his eye.
As I watched news coverage of the spontaneous gatherings of grateful Americans cheering and waving U.S.flags celebrating binLaden’s demise, I was taken back nearly ten years to September 12th, 2001; one day after the attacks on America. My boss, Mark Antonitis called me into his office to show me a copy of a column brilliantly written by Leonard Pitts Jr. of the Miami Herald.
Leonard Pitts Jr.
It perfectly described the feelings of Americans in the wake of that horrific day; sadness, anger, fear, and an incredible determination that the perpetrators of such madness and pain,will get theirs eventually, no matter how long it takes.
“I’d like you to record these words, Mark said, we’ll add some video and run it on all the newscasts.” “It’s pretty long,” I said.” “We’ll make the time,” was Mark’s reply. Viewer response to me reading Mr. Pitt’s inspired narrative was immediate and overwhelming. I looked up his column again last night. It is still amazingly inspirational..especially now.
If you’d care to read it yourself, here’s the link: http://www.miamiherald.com/2008/09/11/681912/leonard-pitts-jr-well-go-forward.html
I also see that Keloland.com has posted the video we did in 2001. Here’s the link: http://www.keloland.com/videoarchive/index.cfm?VideoFile=091101lund
Suddenly I feel like fixing the broken bracket on our house so I can hang up a brand new American Flag.