Imagine Life Without It:
Thanking Those Who Protect Our Freedom

by Courtney Caldwell

Immediately following September 11, 2001, all travel ceased to exist. Airplanes were grounded for some time. Americans stayed home in fear of what might happen next, too afraid to go anywhere and do anything. People stockpiled food and water, filled their gas tanks, and emptied store shelves of gas masks, flashlights and secret weapons they thought would protect their lives when the next attack came.

Talk about shock and awe. Americans lived in fear and terror, paralyzed by the horrific acts of nefarious terrorists from another country. It became immediately clear of their capability and intent, but even more importantly, their mission.

Like many things in American life, the passage of time allowed us to get back to our normal lives, including taking for granted all the wonderful little day-to-day privileges we enjoy as a result of our freedom. But imagine for a moment, if you will, what it might be like today if the terrorists continued their mission on American soil. Imagine if we didn’t have the capability to stop them. Imagine if they struck Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, and Detroit. We know now that they tried but failed. Had they succeeded, we’d be living today as we did in the following weeks of 9/11, in fear and under powers that want to control our way of life.

Shockwaves of that horrific day are still affecting many companies. In fact, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard how serious the problems are with airlines, some of which have claimed bankruptcy. Still in fear, many people won’t fly, which means that one attack is having a long-term deficit on the economy. Some airlines may go out of business, and when they do, hundreds of other airline-dependent companies will go bankrupt and thousands will lose jobs, all creating a devastating trickle-down effect on the American way of life.

By undermining America’s national economy, terrorists once again succeed in their mission to disrupt and control. Imagine the ripple effect on you, the consumer, as terrorists gain control bit-by-bit, piece-by-piece.

There would be no more travel at will; jumping on an airplane to vacation in Paris, hiking in Telluride, sunbathing in Cancun. There would be no more hopping in your car to go visit friends or family. There would be no more speaking out against your new government because it may cost you your tongue, your life, or the massacre of your family. What there would be is a life of fear, a life that is currently forced on those who live under the regimes of terrorists and dictators. Hard to imagine, isn’t it?

But none of that did happen because America has the best-trained, most dedicated, and technically advanced military in the world. Yes, the world. A military, I might add, that we should not only be grateful to for defending our freedom and protecting the land on which we so value our freedom, but to whom we should also be showing our unwavering support. After all, without them, we would not have the freedom to be who we are and do what we want; a freedom we forget is ours only as a result of those who have protected it, defended it; a freedom for which many have died so that the rest of us may continue to have and enjoy it.

If it weren’t for these intensely dedicated people, America would be just another monarchy or regime. We’d have little or no control over our pursuit of happiness. There would be no liberty and justice for all. There would be no American dream.

Hitler’s mission was to conquer the world. He used death and destruction as a means of control. That was his way of peace, his way or hell’s highway, not that there was much difference under his rule. We underestimated him and his capabilities, but history now shows the result of a madman going unchecked. Six million Jews and hundreds of thousands of military lives later, the world finally regained control, but at what cost?

We’ve seen the intent firsthand. How many more New York, Bali, or Israel attacks do we need to understand the full scope of the intent of terrorists or dictatorial regimes that support terrorism? How many more innocent people have to die in these horrific acts of violence before we say enough? How long must we wait before it sinks in that the desire for dominance and control is the goal of terrorists worldwide, not peace? Should we wait again until our global community is infested with terrorist bombings and millions of people are forced to live in fear?

Some seem to think yes as we’ve seen them fill the streets in protest against the war against the Iraqi regime. Some, for reasons that escape me, don’t seem to remember that the reason they’re allowed to demonstrate their freedom of speech is because we live in a free society, a society that was founded on liberty and freedom, a society that has been defended and protected by millions of young men and women throughout history, as they are today in Iraq, Afghanistan and dozens of other locations around the world.

We can only imagine what it must be like to live there. Most of us wouldn’t want to. The one thing we know for certain is that Iraqi people want their freedom too. They are thankful to our soldiers for freeing them from a life sentence of fear and control.

We owe the coalition forces our undying gratitude, as well. While our soldiers are liberating one society, at the same time, they’re keeping America’s liberty intact for all to enjoy. We must remember that we have this liberty, the freedom to do what we want, when we want, because of the sacrifice others are making and have made to protect it every day.

I, for one, enjoy the freedom of travel any time I want, whether by air or land. I am grateful for having the opportunity to pursue my dreams, whether successful or not. I appreciate the opportunity to speak my mind without fear of having my tongue cut out or being thrown in jail and tortured. It makes me happy that my son had a choice to enter the military or not. And I’m ecstatic that my daughter has unlimited opportunities to do and be whatever she wants in her lifetime. Most of those opportunities would not have been available had I not been born in America, the land of the brave and home of the free.

I think I can speak on behalf of the majority of Americans when I say, “Thank you, coalition forces and all American military personnel, for defending our freedom, and providing the gift of freedom to others, for all to enjoy and share. We love and support you, appreciate the sacrifice you’re making on our behalf, and look forward to your safe return.” Where would we be without them? Imagine.