“Not Made of Cotton Candy”

It is somewhat hard to believe that September 11, 2001 was sixteen years ago. It still seems so clear in my memory that I feel like it was only yesterday that those four airplanes filled with mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, were hijacked and made into weapons. I guess this is the way all seminal events in our lives feel.

I listened to the speech given by Secretary of Defense James Mattis today. He said, “But we Americans are not made of cotton candy, we are not seaweed drifting in the current, we are not intimidated by our enemies.” He was right. It filled our nation with a terrible resolve to use Admiral Yamamoto’s words after the Pearl Harbor surprise attack. We struck back and we struck hard.

While today is officially known as Patriot Day, I will continue to use the old term of September 11th. I will remember those lost that day and those that died in the conflicts that followed.

Secretary Mattis’ full speech is below. His quote used in the headline comes at about the 1:45 mark.