Our Last Full Measure

 As I watched the program reviewing the people from 911 and the Attack On America, there were two striking moments during the show that grabbed my attention.  The first was when President Bush was being flown to a secure location and looked outside the airplane window where he saw a fighter jet flying alongside his plane.  He told his staff, "That pilot is flying alongside because if a surface to air missile is shot towards this plane, he will put his plane in it's path to save ours."  The next was when they narrated the last call from Todd Beamer to the operator that he had been talking to.  He told her of their plan to rush the terrorists and take back control of the plane, he asked her to call his family and tell them how much he loved them, he asked her to pray the Lord's prayer with him, and then, he was silent, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's roll," as he prepared to lose his life for a higher purpose.  

Both the pilot who offered the unconditional full measure of his life, and all of the passengers of Flight 93, laser focused on what was most important in life saw clearly what they were offering and willingly offered that full measure.  There was no rhetoric no questions about how we got there, who was to blame, or  the wrongness of the attack, none of that mattered now.  The actions of those two incidents and the actions of so many more in the aftermath of the attacks is what brought us together as a nation, one people, one culture, one color, and one purpose, to selflessly give of ourselves for the good of others.  There are still many people today that offer that same full measure for the good of others.  They are all cultures, all colors, and all genders.  Today, 20 years later, let's join that purpose to selflessly give for the good of others.  #LetLifeWin in what is important in life.