I Almost Lost Him

Today marks the 6th anniversary of the 9.11 attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Let us not forget the passengers that lost their lives on the planes too. I wonder how all the families of the lost loved ones are doing today? We are still no closer to getting Osama bin Laden. For some it renews our desire to keep fighting in Iraq. Maybe this is the only thing the families are holding onto. For them there is no closure.

Last month I almost lost my father to a plane crash. Myself and a couple other family members watched my father take his plane up in the air. After thirteen years and 40 grand later, he was living his dream. He did everything from customizing the GPS to the upholstery and painting. As I watched him come down for a landing, he was having trouble with the air speed and altitude. You can here me say, "Oh shit" on the video. The heat from the cornfield and the wind conditions contributed to the problem. He went down. My father walked away from the accident with 2nd degree burns on his legs from the knees down. The coolant system was punctured and sprayed his legs. There was minimal damage to the wings and the landing gear. Would you believe he turned down a ride to the hospital? The EMS guys thought he was crazy! He was giving the police officer a lecture on quitting smoking. Four hours later, we were still standing around and it occurred to me that I almost lost him. I have a second chance with my Dad. The families of the 9.11 victims will never see their loved ones again.
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/08/22/news/local/doc46cc0d687a73d516204171.txt