About that time of year...

...when we start commemorating the events that took place on September 11, 2001.  Today, I went to a ceremony on post that did just that.  Complete with canons and guns shooting and everything.

John, however, did a bit more.

He went on a 5 mile road march in full battle gear carrying 3 bricks that were later used to make statues representing the World Trade Center Towers at 6 am today.  The Towers sculpture played a part in the ceremony today.  His feet were not acclimated to marching in his boots as he hasn't done a road march in a while.  He could barely walk when we went to work between the blisters and the muscle soreness.

Good thing he has a wife with a background in body work to take care of him.

The ceremony was cool.  Speeches and prayers, prayers and speeches.  Oh, and the canons.  Those suckers are loud.  But the part that got me was when they played Taps at the end.  Now, I hear Taps every night.  EVERY night, it's played at 10 pm on post.  It's the go-to-bed song.  They have a 9:30 song (which I don't know the name of.  I call it the brush-your-teeth song), a 5 pm song "Retreat" where they take down the flag for the day, and of course, the 6:30 am song, the well known, "Reveille".  But I digress.  I hear Taps every night, but this version seemed more moving.  They did have a second trumpet (as the good band of St. Ambrose University didn't have bugles...I'm thinking) doing a kind of echo of the first trumpet.  I liked it.

At the end, the band played "America the Beautiful" and all the attendees were invited to sing along.  At first, NO ONE was singing.  And suddenly, you could hear a few voices.  Then a few more.  In no time at all, everyone had started singing.  I didn't sing.  I was too busy smiling at everyone else and their behaviors.  I just thought it was funny, but in a cute way.

Unfortunately, I failed to bring my camera.  So no pictures.  I kind of rushed out the door without my camera OR phone.

Boo.

Anyway, here is to the men and women who died in the attacks on our country on September 11, the police, firefighters and volunteer workers who helped as well as gave their lives, and the members of our military still fighting in a war against terrorism.