The ghosts of 9/11 still haunt us

As a 9/11 Pentagon “survivor” who lost twenty-seven “shipmates” on that fateful day, I view the current situation in Iran and our yet to be determined response with deep skepticism.

Prior to 9/11 and the highest loss of American lives since Pearl Harbor, our intelligence establishment had the exact location of Osama bin Laden pinpointed several times, to the point that we could have taken him out by a number of means.  The only thing lacking was the political will and resolve by the National Command Authority (NCA) to give the green light to execute the mission.  The trigger was not pulled, as there was always “hope” that he could be dealt with under more favorable conditions.

Fast-forward some twenty years, and we continue to appease our adversary in the Middle East: Iran.  The current administration’s intransigence and hand-wringing have only exacerbated a volatile situation, and now we have needlessly lost the lives of three more American service members.  As with Osama bin Laden, we may “hope” Iran’s proxies are reined in, but as I learned as a young military officer, “hope is never a strategy.”

In my office I have a photograph signed by the twenty-seven of my former office mates who were lost in the Pentagon on 9/11.  When I see their faces staring back at me each day, I can only wonder: if a previous administration had taken the risk and acted decisively, would they still be here with their families and loved ones, and not standing the watch for perpetuity in the Pentagon Navy Command Center?

It was Winston Churchill who stated with steely-eyed determination, in the face of Nazi Germany in the dark days prior to World War II, that “appeasement is feeding the crocodile and hoping he eats you last.”  Well, the events of recent days have proven that both appeasement and hope have led, as they did prior to 9/11, only to the loss of American lives.  If the ghosts of 9/11 have taught us anything, it is to be swift, bold, and decisive.

Unfortunately, I suspect we shall see more of the same failed diplomacy and missteps responsible for the loss of lives on 9/11, Abbey Gate during our feckless retreat from Afghanistan, and now in Jordan.  I can still see the ghosts of 9/11 asking me: why did they die in vain?  If only a nation that was once not afraid to confront evil and spit in its eye stood tall and acted like the leader of the free world, then they could perhaps rest in peace.

Image via Picryl.