The Head of the Snake Severed, Bin Laden Killed By U.S. Forces

Now that it is official that Osama Bin Laden is dead, killed by U.S. forces, it is hard not to look back at the history of this conflict.  We remember exactly where we were on 9/11, how we heard the news, and our reaction was overwhelmingly sad and painful. 

Personally, I wrote a song about that day. I was deeply moved by the New York Times posting of honorariums for every person killed on September 11th.  My song focused on four victims. A reporter from the New York Times gave copies of my tribute song to the families of those I wrote about.  Scott Anderson was one of those killed in the attack and I remember receiving a touching email from his widow. Suddenly, I became closer to the tragedy and I was humbled by her deeply moving words.  Scott left behind two young daughters.  He did not deserve his fate. He was not at war with anybody.  They did not deserve their fate either.

A few months later I learned that a married woman living in the Township where I work also died in the attack on twin towers.  Her husband was devastated by her death. Less than a year later, he took his own life.  Clearly, there were more victims than the nearly 3,000 who died on that sunny September day.

The terrible consequences of Al Qaeda's attack on our country extended beyond that day, beyond our country into other countries around the world.  Attacks in Europe killed hundreds more, and we then took the fight to our enemy in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and other countries all over the world. Families lost loved ones and lives were horribly changed forever. 

Osama Bin Laden declared war on our country. That war continues today and into the foreseeable future. We must remain vigilant. We must support our troops, our President, Congress, and our intelligence community.  But today is a momentous day in the history of our country.  The cheering crowds outside the  White House represent how many of us feel. 

We are joyous that our enemy, a mass murderer of innocent civilians, is dead, but we are also reminded of those citizens we lost that day, and the thousands of soldiers who have given their limbs and their lives to defend our liberty since Septmeber 11th.   Good riddance Bin Laden.  Your death is our justice for your heinous acts against our homeland.

God Bless America, now and forever.