September 11th – 20 Years Later

At the 10 year mark, remembering the September 11^th terrorist attack in 2011, I had just begun writing blogs to let you hear directly from me. I was only writing occasionally, during the previous couple of years, but this somber anniversary was a time to write and remember. I wrote this at the time:

For every decade of our Company’s history, Day & Zimmermann employees have been there to help defend our great country.  In the decade following 9/11, I’m proud that Day & Zimmermann employees were there once again, and in even greater force.  From manufacturing munitions on the home front to securing our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on the front-line, our employees have displayed true patriotism in this time of need.

While much has changed since then, I’m proud to say that a decade later, D&Z employees are still on the job, supporting our women and men in uniform, protecting our freedoms and working in other, newer areas such as cybersecurity and canine cargo screening, to name just a few. Our dedication has never wavered and our support remains unchanged.

What I would most like to ask you as we move forward is to keep in mind and thank those who, for many more than 20 years, have worked, died and sacrificed to keep our country safe. Many brave American women and men in our Armed Forces across the world leave their homes, their families, and put themselves in danger to protect our freedoms here at home. Some of them do not come back. But each answered the call and each of them deserves our respect and thanks.

We are also fortunate to have many veterans working at D&Z and I would like to thank them for their service and for all they do for our company. They work at all levels of our company, and while some we know, and some choose not to identify themselves, if you look hard enough, they can all be identified by their spirit, their poise and their character. I’m pleased to have an active Veteran’s Employee Resource Group to support them, and I encourage you to join or participate in their activities.

September 11^th is a reminder that sometimes the cost of freedom is high, but there are people willing to make the sacrifice, every day. Those lost in the World Trade Center, in the Pentagon and those on the planes had no choice, but their sacrifice must be remembered. And for one flight that ended in rural Pennsylvania, a few brave people made a terrible choice that saved hundreds more. So 20 years later, we not only remember those we lost, but we also remember those willing to put themselves in harm’s way to protect our freedoms and make sure it never happens again. To all our current and former Armed Forces members: Thank you for your service. In the comments below, please feel free to honor any veterans or current members of our US Armed Forces.