-------------- Original message --------------

> Phil,
>
> Amen to those words!
>
> That's exactly why I have on my table a tablecloth with red, white and blue
> flags on it and every year after 9/11, I put that on my big table for a few
> days.
>
> I'm proud to be an American! I love our country! I love the flag! I Praise
> God for what we have as Americans, as there are so many people in other
> countries not as fortunate as we are.
>
> Love and Blessings,
> Pat Ferguson
> At 09:34 AM 9/11/04, you wrote:
> >Here is what I wrote on the first anniversary. I will never forget.
> >
> >A year ago, I was listening to the morning news at the report of
> >the first plane which crashed into tower number one. When the
> >second plane crashed into the second tower, I knew then it was no
> >accident and that we were under some sort of terrorist attack. I
> >even told my wife that day that we could expect more planes now
> >and in the future any place in the country. You can't, after all,
> >read any of Tom Clancy's books or Steven Coonts without knowing
> >that their are people out there that hate our way of life and will
> >do anything they can to destroy what they hate. They will even
> >kill themselves in the process. I can easily say I probably
> >listened to at least 70 or 80 hours of TV and radio that week a
> >year ago. I even awakened during the night and unable to sleep,
> >got up and listened for hours to all the reports. A very good
> >friend of mine flies for United. I believe it was the first plane
> >that crashed into the first trade tower that was the flight out of
> >Boston to Los Angeles. My friend flies that same Boston to L A
> >route all the time. I finally got up the courage to call his home
> >here in Denver to ask his wife if he was home or off flying that
> >week. I was so relieved when she said, "He is home. Let me put
> >him on the phone." He flew over 200 combat missions in jet
> >fighters in Vietnam but my friend could hardly talk on the
> >telephone that day he was so shaken. The first flight he was
> >assigned to fly when the airlines were allowed to fly again was
> >the return flight from L A into Boston. At any rate, today I
> >listened to TV all day once again and all evening just about. I
> >often think of my oldest son now living in New Jersey and how one
> >time his company flew him to New York and he had to go to the top
> >of one of the towers to teach company employees some new software.
> >In fact, he had a meeting scheduled for yesterday in the city but
> >the security was becoming so tight, everyone was canceling their
> >meetings so he canceled his. I couldn't help think today, as I
> >did a year ago, my son could have easily been in one of those
> >towers. All day today something was gnawing at the back of my
> >mind but I couldn't put my finger on it. Yes, I cried several
> >times today listening to all the stories just like I did a year
> >ago and I prayed, too, for the families who suffered such a great
> >loss just as I did a year ago. As I listened to how minute by
> >minute decisions were being made by our nationally elected leaders
> >and by the police and fire fighters and hundreds of others, I
> >suddenly said out loud, I sure am glad to be an American. That's
> >what had been gnawing at me all day and when it finally came to
> >me, I literally spoke it out loud before I realized it. I've
> >never fought in a war or carried a weapon or ever done anything
> >any more patriotic than fly an American flag outside my window. I
> >can truthfully say that today, for perhaps the very first time in
> >my life, I honestly felt proud to be an American. I wasn't just
> >proud of all the people who helped save lives a year ago as I
> >listened to the news coverage today and I wasn't just thankful
> >that it happened to somebody else and not me or my family. I can
> >honestly and truthfully say today, fellow Americans and the way
> >they lived and died, made me proud I am one of them. People died
> >in the air, on the ground, and in buildings and most died without
> >even knowing why. We know why now. they didn't die because they
> >were black or white or because they spoke English or Japanese or
> >Spanish or French. They did not die because they were old or
> >young; male or female. they didn't die because they were
> >religious or atheists. They died because they were Americans. I
> >believe I now have some understanding of what it really means to
> >be an American and I wouldn't have it any other way.
> >
> >Phil.
> >
> >
> >I Flew Kites With Jesus
> >www.SafePlaceFellowship.com