Photo By Sgt. Erin Conway | Chaplain (Col.) Thomas Helms, XVIII Airborne Corps chaplain, leads Task Force Dragon...... read more read more
Subscribe
“We Remember”
Those two simple yet powerful words on an electric sign featuring different nations’ flags as a symbolic message of unity illuminated a large room where military members assigned to Task Force Dragon, currently deployed to Germany, took a pause from its daily tasks to gather and remember the tragic events that struck the United States 21 years ago killing nearly 3,000 people.
Task Force Dragon, made up of elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps and NATO nations, have been deployed to Europe since February 2022 to assure our NATO allies and deter further aggression across the continent.
The ceremony started with a prayer from Chaplain (Col.) Thomas Helms, XVIII Airborne Corps Chaplain, at the exact moment when the first plane hit the Twin Towers in New York City. Helms asked the audience to stand and bow their heads while he led the group in prayer.
“Father, we pray today for the widows,” Helms said. “The mothers, the fathers, the children who have borne the heat of the day and who have walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Father, we pray your blessings upon these. May you sanctify their sacrifices and Father may we never forget.”
“Amen” echoed around the room as Helms finished the prayer and Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue, commanding general of Task Force Dragon and the XVIII Airborne Corps, took the microphone to speak.
While Donahue kept his words short, his message wasn’t lost on anyone. Donahue told the military members in the audience, from all corners of the world, that the terrorist attacks were not just an attack on the United States, but on everybody. Donahue reminded the men and women in the audience how much everything changed that day and said the best way to honor those who died and to never forget was to live life the right way.
“People will ask ‘what did we learn out of all this?’ Donahue said. “Cherish life and live your life.”
The audience reflected on his words as he reminded them of the firefighters, police officers, and ordinary people who ran to help others. Donahue told them of an U.S. Army culinary specialist that ran into the Pentagon, instead of away, and lost his life. He reminded the audience of United Airlines Flight 93 and of those who overpowered the terrorists and redirected the plane to Shanksville, Pa., saving hundreds of lives in the process. Donahue finished his remarks by telling Task Force Dragon service members to live their lives the way people on that flight did when they paid the ultimate sacrifice for hundreds of unknown people.
“It’s really incumbent upon us, whatever is asked of us, to live our lives the right way,” Donahue said. “Whenever people say ‘never forget’ that’s how you ensure people never forget –how you live every day. It shouldn’t be seen as a burden; it should be seen as an incredible privilege.”
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2022 17:37 |
| Story ID: | 429039 |
| Location: | DE |
| Web Views: | 304 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Task Force Dragon remembers 9/11 during ceremony, by SGT Erin Conway, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
