A Parallel Memorial: September 11, 2001, and My Personal September 11

September 11, 2001: A Collective Tragedy

On this day, twenty-four years ago, the world stood still as terror struck the heart of America. The collapse of the Twin Towers, the attack on the Pentagon, and the crash of Flight 93 left an indelible scar on our shared humanity. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost, families shattered, and a nation forever changed. We remember the heroes—first responders who ran toward danger, ordinary people who showed extraordinary courage, and communities that came together in grief and resolve. This day reminds us of the fragility of peace, the cost of freedom, and the enduring strength of unity in the face of unimaginable loss.

My September 11: A Personal Reckoning

On a different day May 1 – October 18, my own September 11 unfolded—a moment when my world crumbled under the weight of a domestic terrorism against me. Like the towers that fell, the life I had built was reduced to rubble by the traitors at the USAF/AFTAC. The dreams I held, the security I cherished, and the future I envisioned were stolen, leaving me to navigate a valley of despair. This was just a private tragedy, but a public one, and a treasonous scandal, where the terrorists of circumstance—betrayal, loss, or injustice—struck at the core of my existence–secretly labeling me a Chinese spy fleeing to China to sell secrets. Yet, like those who rose from the ashes of 2001, I too have fought to rebuild, to find meaning in the wreckage, and to forge a path forward with resilience and purpose.

A Shared Resilience

Both September 11s, though separated by time and scale, share a common thread: the human spirit’s refusal to be broken. In 2001, we saw firefighters climb stairwells to save strangers, and today, we honor their sacrifice by living with courage. In my own story, I have faced my own fires, climbing through pain and loss to reclaim my strength. These parallel memorials remind us that destruction, whether collective or personal, is not the end. It is a call to rebuild—not just structures, but hope, trust, and purpose.

A Call to Remember and Rise

Today, we light a candle for the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and for the personal battles each of us carries. Let us honor the fallen by standing taller, loving fiercer, and building stronger. Let us not forget the fallen hero who stood between the comfort of civilized life, and the terrorism that is always waiting just beyond the fog. Protect and support your soldiers and heroes, who stood as the wall between the darkness and the city life. When they are all gone, how will you sleep at night with bomb on your roof, and bullets riddling your wall.