MacGyver

As the buildings collapsed, you really had no choice but to move away. There was a sea of people moving away from the building, and it was really impossible to go against it. Plus, the debris from the explosion, fire and collapse literally turned the night to day and seemed to remove your very ability to breathe from the air. You simply had to get away from the site. I went back down early that afternoon however, and because of my position at the time and a logistics background, I worked the site until the National Guard could get their controllers onsite. Early morning on September 12, maybe around 0330 or so, I was leaving the site with several firefighters and rescue personnel. We were covered head-to-toe in soot and ash, and were completely exhausted - physically, mentally and spiritually. No one said a word in 15 blocks. There was simply nothing to say. I know we have several here who can likely chime in, but firefighters and rescue personnel are generally a pretty reserved bunch when it comes to accepting thanks. You can say thank you if you like, but we don't expect it. There's a sense of it's our job, and we're just doing it. We were completely black, and because of the smoke and the fact that the streets were blocked off, it seemed even darker. But, I'll never forget crossing Canal Street. As we approached Washington Square Park you could see lights. As we got closer, you could see they were candles. People were lining the street with candles, flags, food and water. It was one of the strongest senses of unity I've ever felt. I'll remember until the day I die, looking to the side, down the line of black faces next to me, and simply seeing the clear streaks from the tears streaming down each of our faces. It brings tears to my eyes now to simply think about it.

So I thought I would share a couple of thoughts on September 11, as someone who was in the 1WTC that terrible morning. The anniversary has actually been a lot tougher on me than I expected. Every anniversary this far has been a lot easier. I have a couple of good friends who call me every year and let me know that they're glad I'm still around. This year though, has been tough. I think it is mostly because I'm still really unsettled 10 years later. We've got a lot of good men and women still standing in the gap, and sometimes it doesn't feel like we're any closer to any resolution. It really feels like the act of taking those 2977 people's lives has still gone at least mostly unanswered. I'm not a vengeful person, but I'd like to see this evil banished from the earth. I'm not going to write my story of that morning right now. It's long, and somewhat hard to get through today. If you see me in person, ask and I'll be happy to share it with you. One thing that has remained with me over these 10 years though, are some of the positive things that I saw at Ground Zero. While I see the devastation at the site, the people jumping out of the windows, and the buildings collapsing when I go to sleep at night, the things that have really endured with me are the human stories, and how that event affected us all. I'll share three:

I was in 1WTC that morning. I was blessed to spend the next 9 months there as a part of the rescue and recovery. I'll post some thoughts tomorrow when I get a chance.

Raoul's right. We're really conducting this war with the average citizen having little or no skin in the game. What does our average citizen care? It doesn't affect them in the slightest. No one is asked to sacrifice. No one is asked to give. It's really saddening.

He did. I redacted it. The story is just a relevant without it. While the post may have been based in fact, the ones following it almost certainly wouldn't have been. The forum as a whole really doesn't need that kind of press.

How about replacing money or vouchers with actual food? I recognize all kinds of people are going to come out of the woodwork and call this an invasion of privacy, humiliating, etc..., but I could argue that this might work a lot better than what we have now. Heck, it could save some of those postal workers' jobs that their boss was on the news crying about the other day. If the numbers are really 1 in 10, that's 30 million boxes of food getting distributed on a regular basis - weekly, biweekly, whatever. For that matter, do it right and there's a boatload of jobs right there - as a part of the program, you can come pack boxes. I'd much rather see communities support their own needs, but if there's no putting Pandora back in the box, let's at least make it sustainable.

I'm with you.

Why is it that our city officials, regardless of where you live, always seem to concentrate on the wrong things? I've got a friend who teaches high school in Fairview and talks about being pressured to pass students so that they don't weigh down the county averages. That's not helping anyone except the administrators. I used Fairview as a community that many people in middle Tennessee would notice, but I know that there are far worse within Williamson county. The kids that my wife helped were in rock throwing distance of million dollar homes. The poor are among us, and as someone else once said, will always be. My personal problem is that it is way too easy to go about my daily business and not notice them. I'm really not okay with that.

You're right on the population. I apparently pulled Williamson County, TX. Before we had kids, my wife taught at Walnut Grove Elementary in Franklin- one of the wealthiest schools per capita in the state. Even so, there are some really poor people - even there. I can count at least three that my wife helped with coats, food and other simple stuff that they needed. No one asked. But a large part of their problem was that they weren't learning because they were hungry. She kept snacks in her classroom so that some of the students she helped could get something to eat before she worked with them on whatever they needed help with. So yeah, I can buy that number. I would guess there's some room on either side of that 10% number by a couple of points, but looking at the technical brief of the organization you referenced, I expect it's close. Williamson county has Brentwood and Franklin, but it's also got Fairview.

Here's a good article from a couple of years ago that the Wall Street Journal did as a part of a year long series on poverty in America. For Hungry Kids, 'Backpack Clubs' Try to Fill a Gap - WSJ.com I know that Second Harvest runs one of these programs in Nashville. "Want amid plenty" is a real problem. Williamson County is a great example. There are million dollar homes, but if you look, there are plenty that ought to be condemned as well. 16,000 people out of 394,000 is 4%. I see that as a pretty realistic number. There's a difference between starvation and hunger. You're right. We don't have starvation due to famine, civil unrest or food being used as a weapon here. But we certainly have hunger issues. Nicemac, I think you guys home school, but I would be willing to bet that if you went to your local public elementary school and asked the administrators, they would tell you that they have plenty of kids that don't get enough to eat.I would argue that the problem amongst children specifically is especially limiting. Hungry kids don't learn as well - it's hard to concentrate when you stomach is in a knot and you've got a headache or are dizzy. The sad thing about this is that by being hungry, it's a lot harder to break the cycle of poverty. I would say again, if anyone has not had contact with hunger in America, you either are extremely sheltered (which certainly happens), very naive, or you simply haven't looked. It's a real problem.

Clearly you guys have never been in a public school setting and watched a kid save some of his free breakfast/lunch to take home so that his younger siblings can have something to eat. It will change you. Regardless of how crummy their parents are, no kid deserves that. It's a lot more common than you think, yet there's a stigma attached to it, so often people don't say much of anything. Count your blessings.

I'm a big Leupold fan, but was disappointed to learn recently that their non-Gold Ring stuff is now being made in China.

As someone who was in 1WTC the morning of, and was blessed to be a part of the rescue and recovery effort for the next nine months, I don't need an anniversary to remember. Ten years later, I still see those images in my head when I close my eyes at night. I'll thank the Lord for still being alive. I should have been in my office on the 78th floor on the side of impact - right below the impact in fact on the 81st floor. I should have been one of the ones we never found. I wasn't. It's hard to reconcile still being here when you watched 2977 other people killed. I'll thank the Lord for the goodness that I witnessed firsthand from our fellow Americans and people the world over. We've squandered most of that goodwill at this point. But, I've tasted that and know that as a general rule, despite our differences, we're a lot more alike than we are different. Maybe one day we'll figure out a way to experience this goodness without the tragedy. I'll pray for those who continue to stand in the gap. There's no greater gift than to lay down your life for your fellow citizen, much less some farmer in Afghanistan. This is something we all need to recognize daily. I'll pray for continued healing for everyone involved. 10 years later, there's still a lot of hurting out there. I'll thank the Lord for his grace. I'll hug my kids and my wife.

I've got two ESEE H.E.S.Ts. They're great blades. The izula is a great blade, too.

Man, I'm getting hungry.

A couple of years ago I was sitting in a restaurant called Palace Kitchen in downtown Seattle. They had a "root vegetable stew" that was made with venison. It was incredible. Turnips, parsnips, onions, potatos, carrots, etc... I'd love to find a recipie for it. I may have to experiment this season.

This isn't a chili recipie per se, but I can't wait to try this recipie this year. I was sitting in my wife's doctor's office earler this year before the birth of our third child. They graciously subscribe to Field and Stream which had this recipie. I actually took a picture of the page sitting there in the doctor's office. Shoulder Roast with wild mushrooms, apples and turnips: Here's the link to the recipie so they get the page hits. The mashed turnips sound great to me. John Besh's Recipe for Roasted Venison Shoulder | Field & Stream

I'm down with a campfire chili cookoff! Got my appetite whetted this past weekend down in the North Georgia mountains. I wouldn't compete with the chili's listed above, though I'd certainly partake! My dutch oven contributions are in the cobbler camp. Nothing better than a good dutch oven peach cobbler cooked over the campfire.

While a trust from a dealer may pass muster with the ATF, you're certainly better served in the long run by dealing with an attorney who specializes in NFA trusts and can take into account your particular situation. I know that we've got a couple of vendors on here who have a lot of experience in putting trusts together for our members.

Well, if you're wanting to get it up before the anniversary of September 11, as someone who was in 1WTC that morning and spent 9 months on the rescue and recovery, I can tell you firsthand that the solitary thing that gave me comfort during that time was watching the pride that Americans of all types took in our country. I'll never forget walking away from the site in the early hours of September 12th with a group of firefighters, all of us covered head to toe in soot and ash, and seeing the flags and candles lining the streets for blocks as passed Canal street. Put up the flag. We need more people like you.

If there are folks doing that, it's totally against the spirit of the original offer.

Wow, that is bigger. I'll still probably give it a whirl.

Really? That's surprising. It doesn't look that big in the pictures.How about a pic of the two of them side by side when you get a chance? That's not a deal breaker by any means, but the Wave isn't a small knife.

You're kind of flirting with the dark side. Your transformation won't be complete until you have a whole collection of them.

I'm jealous.