For me, September 11, 2001, was not only a time of national crisis, but also one of personal and professional crossroads. Even with the buffer of time, I can't claim to regard that day or those last weeks at McGuire with any nostalgic sense of triumph, but I carry tremendous lessons with me.
For those on the Dover Team, please know that you – along with my amazing SuperHusband – saved me. You salvaged my professional career, and rescued my sense of self and purpose. Few things in life will ever compare to the humble honor of serving there with such an incredible group of people. Several of us keep in touch only loosely, while I count others of you among my closest friends, but I hold you all in the highest regard for the way you served one of the most simultaneously hallowed and scrutinized missions in the U.S. military.
Today 9/11 still resonates throughout our home just below the surface. Two weeks ago, I finally made the time to visit the Pentagon memorial. When I viewed the 184 benches, the realization flooded over me of how much that day continues to define our family’s life. And when I saw the bench reserved for 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg, my mind instantly connected to Big Boy and Bitty Boy’s little round faces and I wept. I wept for all the time SuperHusband and I have spent apart, for all the special moments we will miss in our children’s lives, for our friends and colleagues who sacrifice so much…and I wept for the blessing that – unlike so many – we still have the luxury of hoping to meet again in this life.
I would be humbled and honored to serve with any of you again. Thank you so much for who you are and everything you've done.
Love and God bless,
Olivia
