Fifteen Years Later

One-year-old Baylee Almon, cradled in the arms of Firefighter Chris Fields, died at an area hospital later that day. This photo, taken by utility worker Charles Porter, won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.

Southern Man had just finished his morning general physics lecture and was walking back to his office when the university science building shook. Classes were dismissed so that professors and students could give blood. The donation lines were so long that they were turning away all but the rarest types and the flood of charity of every kind overwhelmed every agency in the state for months on end. And no one gave more generously to New York City after the horror of 9/11.


The Spirit of Oklahoma, Rescue Truck #1, NYFD

One of Southern Man's future colleagues was on the fifth floor. Apparently Bill, who was nearly killed in 'Nam and whose AWACS plane was very nearly shot out from under him by a optically-guided SAM during Desert Storm, is just too ornery to die. He was at memorial services all day, as he always is on this date every year.

We will never forget. Not 4/19 and not 9/11. Disregard the posturing of the current administration and the thoughtless words of a former president. Enemies of the US, tremble, for our memory is long and our righteous wrath terrible to behold.