Probably the most meaningful post I’ve done. If you don’t know who David Gamboa-Brandhorst is, he was a passenger aboard United Flight 175. And he was 3 years old.
I knew his father, who was my manager in 2001. That is, up until 9:03am on September 11, 2001. That’s because 6 seconds earlier, the 2nd plane slammed into the South Tower of the WTC, killing Ron Gamboa. David’s other father, Daniel Brandhorst, also perished with David and Ron; murdered in a senseless act of war and terrorism that some excuse as “blowback”. Uh-uh. “Blowback” is what al-Qaeda and Islamic radicals have been experiencing in the post-9/11 era.
Every time I see this image….
….and this…
….And others like it from countless angles, I am seeing the moment of death of someone I knew. And it makes me smoulder with rage and my heart tear up into my eyes to ponder what their final moments must have been like.
9/11 was a wake up call. President Bush was there to answer it, and has successfully protected America from another 9/11-style terror attack since that terrible day.
The following video (made by yours truly up into the wee hours of 3am this morning!) extends well beyond the events of 9/11 and includes the aftermath response of our efforts in Iraq.
Yeah, yeah, yeah…it’s Bruce Springsteen. What can I say? Liberals make great music.
A former fetus, the “wordsmith from nantucket” was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968. Adopted at birth, wordsmith grew up a military brat. He achieved his B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (graduating in the top 97% of his class), where he also competed rings for the UCLA mens gymnastics team. The events of 9/11 woke him from his political slumber and malaise. Currently a personal trainer and gymnastics coach.
The wordsmith has never been to Nantucket.
Thanks. I lost several friends that day as well. We need to always remember them.
I’ve reposted our 2996 post from last year.
Really excellent and first rate video Wordsmith. So many memories. One of my favorite photos is the one where the little girl holds up the sign “My Daddy, My Hero.”
Thanks, Mike. Considering it’s a “last minute video”, I like the way it turned out.
Outstanding work, you should get an Oscar for best short subject for this. I was good up till the picture of the little boy receiving the flag from his fathers casket – very moving.
You guys keep up the great work on Flopping Aces, you give a conservative who lives in the SF bay area hope the rest of the county isn’t insane.
kj
I will never forget or forgive…
Thanks Ken and Mr. Bingsley. 9/11/01 should be engraved upon the hearts of all Americans.
Here’s the video I made last year:
AWESOME FILM….I’M GOING TO SEND THIS TO NIKA’S TEACHER AND HOPEFULLY SHE PLAYS IT IN CLASS TODAY.
D
It’s difficult to get through another anniversary and I’ve resisted looking through the 911 threads, but little David drew me in. Wordsmith, I am so sorry for your personal loss, losing that lovely child and his family had to be overwhelming grief at that time and a loss that will be long suffering. Thank you for sharing, your clips are the best I’ve ever seen.
My son is 3yrs old.
I will never forget, and he will never know what pre-911 really means except from what he reads in history books.
It’s sad that children growing up today will never know the relatively carefree life that so many of us enjoyed before September 11th. I realize in some ways it was an illusion. But it’s an illusion that is gone forever.
Now, every time you visit an airport you are reminded that we must be always vigilant and can never again let our guard down.
Everyones reaction was almost the same that day…its amazing to me that America can unite under the feelings that everyone experienced…anger, rage, helplessness….it goes on
Thanks for the tribute 🙂
Word,
I read about little David and Ron and Daniel “back in the day”, but don’t remember where it was.
Thanks for the post.
9/11/01 is a day I never want to forget. Or forgive.
Never Forget.
my son was asking me questions today about that day, i remember we were watching cartoons when my sister called to tell me to turn on the news. i sat in shock, called a friend, then had to get ready for work, i kept going back to the tv not sure if it was a joke, if i was mistaken….i drove my son to daycare and didn’t pass mnay cars, then on to work there were still no cars on the road. i got to work and appts were cancelling, we went home. i really think this is my generations version of the kennedy assination. my parents remember where they were when that happened, i will always remember that morning. we, as a nation can never forget. peace be with all of the families who lost their loved ones.
Word, this is a hard one for me. When it comes to 911.. and save having a cousin who escaped the mayhem and death of 911 in NYC… I know no one personally. Yet I still find this day unbelievably difficult and distinctly personal.
It’s not a “too soon” attitude. I could rewatch the attacks of the tower without protest. I consider it a healthy reminder.
But to look at someone so young as this adorable munchkin, and think of how many individual lives came into play that day… OMG
From those lives that were lost and their families… to those who were responders who survived or were lost… the stories of each and all are just beyond my capability to absorb.
This is a day when, oddly enough, I try to withdraw from all contact and just “be”. Your photos and thoughts fit into that daily pattern for me. I suspect you, like I am, look in retrospect and go “huh”???
So my thanks for the visual reminders that so may are reticent to provide. They hurt… yes. But then, I am not afraid of pain. I am afraid of not doing enough to avoid more senseless pain.
Thanks for the comments, guys.
It’s been an interesting day. God bless those who are no longer with us to enjoy today and the many more tomorrows.