MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- On Sept. 11, service members and civilians gathered here in front of Building 1 to participate in the station’s fourth annual Freedom Walk.
It has been eight years since Americans gathered around their televisions as the morning’s terrorist attacks unfolded.
After Sept. 11, 2001, the nation appeared to have experienced a surge in patriotism. Every car seemed to don a small flag and country singers seemed to have a song declaring their pride for America. As time went on, the flags began to come down and the news specials on television began to fade.
“While each of us over the age of 20 may remember exactly where we were and what we were doing at the time news of the attacks flashed across the airwaves, our memories have dulled with the passage of time,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan O. Gackle, the commanding officer of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 here. “In fact, part of that is by design. It’s highly unusual to see footage of the attacks and the destruction on television because folks in the business think it’s best if we forget the ugliness of that day.”
For those in attendance at the Freedom Walk, it would have been near impossible to forget. Before the walk began service, members and civilians waited in front of Building 1 to pay respects to the colors as they were raised to half mast. After the colors were raised, a mass herd of people invaded the streets.
A fire truck drove down the street as the procession of people followed it to the station chapel. Service members walked side by side as mothers pushed their babies in strollers.
As people began to converge on the chapel, they encountered a large screen projecting photos from the attacks on 9/11.
“It’s weird because those pictures bring back memories that I don’t really have,” said Nicole Parsels, who was only four when the terrorist attacks occurred. “It sounds strange, but I have grown up always hearing about 9/11 from my parents, so for me it has become this event that is very real for me. This event changed so many lives; it is the reason that a lot of people on this stationed joined the military in the first place.”
Once the service began, the entire chapel had filled to standing room only. The congregation joined in singing “America the Beautiful” followed by words from Gackle. After Gackle’s words, there was one minute of silence. At the back of the chapel, a Marine rang a bell four times, once for each passenger jet lost.
“There are lessons in the tragedy of 9/11 for all of us,” said Gackle. “The first lesson is that life really is fragile. Nearly 3,000 people awoke on Tuesday, the 11th of Sept. 2001, and expected to see other beautiful mornings in their lifetime. Until that first airliner stuck the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. - it was indeed a beautiful, calm, clear and sunny morning.”
Gackle’s message was about life’s fragility, the price of freedom, and the importance of reflection.
As the crowd of people left the chapel, no one really knew what each individual was thinking. For Gackle it might have been a moment that rehashed painful memories of the past, while for Parsels it could have been an opportunity to ponder the ramifications of an event she cannot remember.
The walk and chapel service meant many things to many different people. For those who remember the date like it was yesterday and for those who were too young to recall, the stories, pictures and memorials can only help keep alive the memories of those who were lost.