# Nameless Influence



## Ack (Jul 31, 2004)

I heard the un-nerving sound of assault rifles, and bullets ripping through the air. I continued to work. It was then I realized how my life had changed. I had become accustomed to constant gun-fire that had replaced the everyday comforts and conveniences of my normal life. The roller coaster of my life has been influenced by many; however there is one person who is responsible for my changed outlook of the world and also my visit to the desert. I do not know his name, and he is a coward. The terrorist responsible for directing the commercial air-liner into the first World Trade Center building has had the most profound impact on my life.    
	It was a day that I knew would be forever in my memory, but I was mistaken to have thought it would be a positive memory.  It was a beautiful morning. I stood in a field of thick green grass in the first formation of my Army career. An officer at the front of the formation congratulated all of us –the Army’s newest recruits– for joining the greatest fighting force the world has ever had. He then spoke of the fear we instill upon the people who want to see us fail as the “shining light of freedom,” and our dominance as the world’s only super-power would give us many years of peace. He finished his speech and we marched out of the field. It was 9:15 A.M. September 11, 2001. 
	It was around that time that an act of terrorism had begun, and everything I knew changed. There were many different people involved in this atrocity but I find the first impact to have been the most life altering. It was the drum beat that the rest of the terrorist used to continue their acts inhumanity. I began a journey that day that would lead me to many places and open my eyes to a world of hatred and oppression. I have learned that without change, September 11, 2001 will not be the last time this country will have been brought to its knees. I will spend the rest of my life bringing that change to the world.

          People often find that their parents are the ones responsible for the most monumental affects on their life, however they often overlook the fact that there are outside influences in there life. In my life the person who influenced the biggest changes in my outlook did not instill a positive image of the world or the things that I would do to make the world a better place. He instead showed me that I will always have to stand ready to defend this country and the values that most Americans hold dear to their heart. Now and forever, I will never forget the terror that begun with that cowardly terrorist, and I wait to once more stand in the desert so that hopefully my children will never become accustomed to the sound of an assault rifle, or the sight of people running from acts of terrorism being played live on the television.


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