The year is 2001 and what most will remember, if you were present during that time, are the searing images of the collapsing twin towers and the resulting deaths from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Undoubtedly, this was a moment that defined a nation and a moment that defined many Americans during that year. The images and sounds of that day are permanently seared into my memory bank. That year was a year of several defining moments for me.
“It’s Really Simple Really”
Getting an engineering degree was a lifetime goal, attaining one however, was harder than expected.
For starters, there was no money for college, so I continued working at the same seafood place I had been working while in high school to save some money and enroll at Old Dominion University (ODU). During those years, I met so many caring and encouraging humans, learned so many lessons from them, and saw the charity of good souls. The restaurant was also a bar, and even though we closed the kitchen at a reasonable hour, I needed to stay and help cleanup after the bar was closed at 2AM. The staff would come back to the kitchen during breaks and saw me crack open books and do homework so that I would be prepared for my classes the next day. They were a great bunch, encouraged me, and helped me prepare for some of the courses; some may have an engineering associate and not even know it.
I entered ODU with a sense of wonder and determination, but this new higher education world dealt a reality check to me after my first semester when I was told that about 50% of the entering class had either failed out or were placed on academic probation. The thought of being one of those students was not something I wanted to keep in my mind for long, so I worked diligently to get good enough grades to remain in school and stay away from any possibility of an academic probation. It was not easy….I continued to carry a full load of classes and worked full time at the restaurant. I was certainly not the smartest student in the class, but damn if anyone was going to outwork me. Despite the hard work, I had my first failing grade experience and I remember thinking there is no way I am going to make it through this. It was during these times that I always remember the encouraging words of my Thermodynamics professor when we all encountered obstacles in his class, “it’s really simple really!” Engineering school was anything but simple…really!
On May 2001, my goal and a mother’s vision became reality. The years of hard work, life changing experiences, and enduring life challenges were rewarded by a piece of paper that proudly hangs at my mother’s house as a testament of her sacrifice and that anything is possible. It was a hard and long journey, but I came out of the knothole with some scars, some high level understanding of mathematics and sciences, and life-long friendships. As the ODU graduation commencement speaker noted in his remarks, “You were born to be players in this extraordinary blessing called life. So climb a ladder of success and work and live in comfort and enjoy yourself. You’ve earned it. That is the American Way and the American Dream.”
hThe only picture I have of receiving my diploma is a proof!
“It’s a Beautiful Day”
At around 7:00 in the morning, my friend and I walked out of the gym after our morning workout and had a small conversation prior to going to work. The day was brilliant and I made the comment that “man it is a beautiful day”. We joked about playing hooky and enjoying the rest of the day off work, but that was a short-lived idea and quickly got into our cars to go about our workday. Unbeknownst to us, the day will end up as one of the defining moments of our lives. That day was the morning of September 11, 2001. Watching the events unfold in front our eyes that day seemed like an alternate reality; these type of things did not happen on American soil. However, what we were watching later that morning was all too real. What initially appeared to be an air travel accident quickly became evident that it was anything but an accident. After the first plane hit the first tower, chaos ensued on the streets of New York that quickly escalated when a second plane hit the second tower. It was clear this was not an accident, but a deliberate attack on America. What happened subsequently after was an unfathomable thought of a collapsing first tower, followed by the second, and the death of thousands of innocent lives lost in an instant. We later found out through the news that another plane had hit the Pentagon, and that another plane had also been highjacked. The latter plane also crashing, but on the fields of Pennsylvania, taken down by a plane full of heroes that would not give in to the demands of the highjackers and took matters into their own hands; a heroic act of valor. A day forever imprinted on the hearts and minds of the American People and the world.
On the morning of September 12, 2001, I was sworn in as an American Citizen after being in the country for 14 years. A day I thought would never happen because of the prior day events. A true defining moment for all of us being naturalized that day as the presiding judge told every one of us that on that day he was rising for us because after what happened to America the prior day we still wanted to become American citizens. It is a statement deeply embedded in me as I reflect on what it means to be an America Citizen. This is a path many people around the world hope to get to because as Americans there are rights and liberties granted to us that are unmatched by any other country in the world. It is easy to lose sight of that as we go day in and day out without notice and treat it as normal. That normalcy, however, is evident the minute you step out of the country and experience another another country where rights and liberties are limited. Better yet, talk to someone who lives in a different country and they will tell you why America is a great place to live despite the issues, prejudice, and social discord that we get reminded of by the media on a daily basis. Even better, talk to our soldiers out in the battle field, missing their families for months on end, and to those families whose loved ones have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we enjoy. They will tell you that freedom is not free, and that the fight must endure to maintain the privilege we enjoy as Americans. Throughout the day I reflected on my path from El Salvador to the US, and how I would put to use this new earned opportunity. I reflected on the President’s speech the night before where he stated, “This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.”
“The Position is Still Available”
A few weeks after the September 11 event, I would get a call that would allow me to contribute in defending our freedoms and all that is good and just in our world. That call was from a recruiter for Newport News Shipbuilding. I have had an interview with the company shortly after graduating, but an offer could not be extended because I needed to be an American Citizen to work in the company. The recruiter knew I was going through the naturalization process and was checking to see if I had been naturalized because as fate would have it, the job I interviewed for in May was still available. On October 16, 2001, I started my career at Newport News Shipbuilding as an entry level engineer designing, building, and maintaining the crown jewel of the NAVY, the mighty Nuclear Aircraft Carriers.
The opportunity has allowed me to contribute the skills I have gained in engineering and support defending the very freedoms I have been so fortunate to have. I have had the pleasure of working with amazing teams that feel equally passionate working for a cause greater than ourselves. Moreover, when those mighty vessels sail to conflict areas I feel a sense of pride that our brave sailors are on a vessel that will successfully allow them to execute their missions and safely come home to their families. We are shaping freedom and I am eternally grateful and humbled to be a part of this cause.
“Will You Marry Me”
I have been blessed to have met a beautiful soul and an equally beautiful family that cared for me during some trying times. I met this beautiful woman on a school bus in middle school, challenged by language barriers there was not much to be said, but her welcoming smile was as beautiful as her heart. We would not see each other very often except on the school bus, and then we would lose touch as I transitioned into high school before her. We would reconnect a couple years later, and we started dating during my junior year and became inseparable. We dated throughout the remaining years of high school and through college. On December 25, 2001, as my family and her family gathered that morning to celebrate Christmas, I asked her to be my bride and soulmate and we have been together ever since. My high-school sweetheart became my wife, and now the wonderful caring mother to my two sons. In the game of life, I have won the lottery by having her by my side for so many years.
It is said that we all have defining moments throughout our lives that transform the way we see the world and give us an appreciation of life. The year 2001 was a year of many defining moments for me, moments that will forever be remembered for the happiness they created, the sorrow experienced, and laying the foundation for the future that is yet to be fulfilled.
As we near the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we all know exactly what we were doing on that day. Perhaps a lot of it has to do with the fact that an event like that has a way of forcing you to see life from a different perspective. It forces you to reflect on what you were doing that day, how you were spending your life, what value were you creating, and what opportunities you were missing as you go through the busy game of life. We should all strive to proactively reflect on the great things happening in our lives; I know I need to do better at this myself. We should not lose sight of what is important, and we should not get too busy chasing the extraordinary moments that we miss the ordinary ones.
May your defining moments allow you an opportunity for growth, allow you to appreciate the things you have, allow you to put your gifts to practice and change the world, and may they encourage you to fulfill what is attainable in this beautiful country we call The United States of America. Twenty years ago I became a US citizen and I can only hope that I can continue to contribute positively to a country that has given me and my family opportunities beyond imagination.
