I won’t forget 9/11

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/07/2009 (5585 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It will be a day I will never forget, Sept 11, 2001 – and for reasons beyond that it was my birthday.

It was the day our world changed forever, a tragic day we’ll all remember as the beginning of the war on terror, a war that has seen 88 Canadians die hunting down those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks.

Seven years later, soldiers from the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry from Shilo are in Afghanistan, joining in the hunt. It’s believed to be the largest contingent of soldiers to be deployed from Manitoba in recent memory. They are coming to the end of their six–month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

As you read this, I am in Afghanistan with them, embedded with our troops, filing web reports, photographs and stories of Manitoba’s bravest.

But I remember that Sept. 11 nearly seven years ago, when I was in Lincoln, Neb. with sports reporter Paul Wiecek. We covering the Winnipeg Goldeyes in a championship game. Wiecek woke me up with the gruesome news as I cracked open my eyes on my 35th birthday.

The day was surreal. Everywhere we went, eyes were glued to television screens, watching the towers collapse again and again.

For many days, the world seemed to stop and there we were, right in the middle of America’s heartland. The games were postponed as Americans coped with their shock and anger. I’ll hold forever in my mind the image of a young boy lowering to half staff the enormous American flag in downtown Lincoln.

Eventually, it was time for pro baseball to return and so followed suit the AA clubs. From Lincoln, the Goldeyes went to New Jersey for the championship final. Less than two weeks after the attacks, we were travelling through New York City to see the Goldeyes take on the New Jersey Jackals.

Machine–gun–toting military in camouflage patrolled the airports, a rare scene in America. As we arrived in Manhattan, Ground Zero still burned. The city was littered with reminders of 9/11.

Posters of those missing in the towers hung from buildings and lamp posts. Tributes to lives lost emerged everywhere. President George W. Bush uttered those words, "the search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts" and so the war began.

In 2002, Canada deployed its first troops to hunt for the Taliban. We knew we had to stand by the Americans. Days after the first Canadian troops arrived in Afghanistan, reports came home that our soldiers were involved in heavy combat against the Taliban.

This was new. For years, Canadians had seen their troops involved in peacekeeping operations around the world. This time it was clear: We are at war.

Since 2001 when Canadian troops were first deployed – along with troops from other NATO countries – and even more since 2002 as their role intensified, Canadians have watched as families said goodbye to loved ones headed out to fight in a war it sometimes seems will never end.

When news came of the first soldiers’ deaths, media outlets across the country honoured the fallen solders. It was the top story in every newspaper and on every broadcast outlet in the nation.

There have been successes in Afghanistan. But recent news suggests Taliban are flowing in from Pakistan and gaining strength. As our troops make inroads, the enemy is reloading across the border.

At seven years and counting, will we ever win this war?

But our brave soldiers keep signing up for second and third tours, risking their lives to bring peace and keep order in Afghanistan.

The recent death of 25–year–old Cpl. James Hayward Arnal reminded us of the dangers soldiers face.

This tragic loss came shortly before I was to begin my journey to Afghanistan. It was a Sunday night when the editor–in–chief asked if I would consider documenting our local troops’ efforts. My response was instant and from the gut: yes.

But it’s been a tough couple of weeks, worrying what lay ahead, as I calmed down friends and family who have called to tell me they are worried about my safety. It’s striking me how concerned my friends and family are when I am going as a mere observer. I can only imagine the fears of the families of soldiers who have been there months.

I’ll do my best to bring images and stories of the soldiers and Manitobans participating in the mission. Perhaps my work will remind us all that we are a nation at war.