Freedom to Liberty
The people at Old Glory Honor Flight, and Missions of Honor, Inc. are focused on the health and well-being of our veteran community. The Freedom to Liberty Tour is one way to help our vets heal, reflect on their service, bond with like-minded vets and to simply take pause and breathe.
I was selected for the second mission of this amazing organization. The mission started with us flying out of Appleton International Airport, and landed in Newark, NJ and bussed in to the big city with an police escort to get us their without trouble.
Friday had us going to 9-11 Memorial and Museum. When the attack happened, I was going into my 11th year with the Army and Army Reserve. For me personally, and I think most GWOT veterans, our war started at 8:46 on 11 Sept 01. Like everyone, I watched it on TV, and listened on the radio. The streets filled with fire, rescue, police, and medical transport, and evacuating people going in all directions. That's where the trip took us. Ground Zero. 
The world watched as over 3000 people were killed that day. To see it in person, brought the anger, the rage, and the hope in America that we had that day back to me all at once. What I saw on the 16 acre complex was different than what I expected. This being my first trip to NY, I was expected people walking through the area going here or there, because they are used to seeing it every day.
What I saw was people(families, groups, faces of America) at this site treating it as is should be, hallowed ground. No kids running around playing, no vagrants, horns blowing, and all of the things you see in NY. Every time I went past the pools, all I saw was somber respect. Security there is mostly invisible, but the PAPD has everything under control.
To be on that site was one thing, but the people at Missions of Honor went further, and made that day incredibly hard. We had the privilege to hear from 3 speakers that day. Survivors of 9-11. Listening to them tell their stories first hand, and how they were able to find a way to recover something of what they all lost that day was simply incredible, and inspirational.
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is something to behold. There is so much to see, to read, to reflect on, to remember, I can't go into it here. They thought of everything, and it shows.
That night, we ate dinner with FDNY Station 10. This building has the FDNY 9/11 Memorial on the outside wall. This station is at Ground Zero. Inside the building are civilian and military patches, hats, flags, and memorials to individuals. The mood was light, and festive, which was really needed after the day we had. Afterwards we had a few guys talk, then just kind of mingled for a while.
The next day, we went to see the symbol of Freedom at the Statue of Liberty. Again, I saw people from around the world, literally, enjoying America. Kids playing, families having fun, and while I was there, I didn't hear or see anything disrespectful.
Our dinner that night was at Fraunces Tavern. George Washington called his command staff for a final dinner before dismissing the Continental Army after the Revolutionary War. That would have been enough, to be in such a cool and historical place. But the crew brought in SSG David Bellavia, Medal of Honor recipient from Iraq. His talk was another incredibly inspirational message.
The welcome home was simply incredible. The hangar was full of friends, family, and complete strangers, all there to cheer us home. Unless you have given your wife and kids your last hug and kiss before getting on the flight to go to war, you can't quite comprehend what it means when you can hold them again.
I can only speak for myself, but the trip was healing for me. To hear survivors of that attack talk, to be able to feel the steel from the towers, to see that and then to see all of the families and kids just enjoying American Freedom, was amazing.