Publisher’s ink: 9/11 is a reminder that freedom is worth fighting for

By Richard Esposito
From page A4 | 14 Comments

Nick Popaditch is an American hero. Ten years after 9/11 the retired United States Marine tank commander and Purple Heart recipient exemplifies the sacrifices our military servicemen and women endure to preserve our freedom.

Some might remember seeing Popaditch sitting atop his tank in Firdos Square in 2003 when the statue of Saddam Hussein was torn off its pedestal. It was a tank in his unit that served as the battering ram used to push the statue over. The American flag hoisted briefly over the statue was the same flag flown over the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, when American Airlines flight 77 was hijacked by Islamic terrorists and flown into the building.

Popaditch, referred to as “Gunny Pop,” spoke at a book signing event hosted by Sierra Vista Bank in Cameron Park last week. He was promoting his book “Once A Marine,” an inspirational memoir of combat, courage and recovery. The recovery he writes about is his own from life threatening wounds he received while engaging the enemy during the First Battle of Fallujah in April 2004.

An Iraqi rocket propelled grenade hit Gunny Pop in the head. He would instantly lose his right eye as shrapnel tore through his skull. Military field doctors needed to probe deep inside his sinus cavity to retrieve what was left of his left eyeball to ensure he had any vision left to save. Today with barely 8 percent vision and impaired hearing one hardly recognizes any visible signs of the damage the grenade did when it exploded upon impact.

Gunny Pop is a reminder of how far we’ve come in the 10 years since 9/11.

It’s a date we will always remember. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Kennedy’s assassination and where we were when OJ Simpson was pronounced “not guilty” all come to mind by comparison.

For three days afterward our skies were ominously quiet as airline traffic ceased. We became a nation in bondage of fear. That is of course until we fully understood the magnitude of the damage and who it was we sought.

Like most, I recall exactly where I was and what I was doing at the time. As I stood watching events unfold on television an eerie sense of helplessness overcame me. What could I do? How could I help? I was stunned as the second plane, United Airlines flight 175, flew into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

None of us today could ever imagine being there at Ground Zero witnessing the death, destruction and horror. My cousin, working nearby at the Federal Express building, witnessed first-hand people falling from the World Trade Center. As more innocent victims fell or jumped to their deaths, someone in the office closed the blinds. It was more than anyone could stomach.

I can still recall President Bush’s standing atop a heap of debris at the scene in New York City. “You’re either with us or against us,” he announced to any country harboring the enemy or standing in our way. Our military with its gallant soldiers, like Gunny Pop, were trained, armed and ready. We would soon learn where to take the fight and they would pay dearly.

Afghanistan, the graveyard of foreign conquests, was targeted and dealt with. And despite poor intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, we liberated the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator while removing a safe haven for terrorists.

Gunny Pop can shed some light on the Iraqi people and their appreciation of being set free. When his tank unit entered the square and witnessed the masses celebrating the end of Saddam Hussein’s tyranny he understood freedom was worth fighting and dying for.

Too many Americans take freedom for granted in our country. While 9/11 served as a wake-up call to the dangers we face in the world today I fear our memory of that devastating day will be short-lived. Time erases the pain. It dulls the sharpness of our memories. Ten years can sometimes seem like 100 and the events so far removed.

Reading Gunny Pop’s book will restore your faith in the human spirit, our military and the future of our country. And what more could we ask as the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 approaches than faith in ourselves as a people to do what is right and continue our struggle for freedom both at home and abroad.

Richard Esposito is publisher of the Mountain Democrat. His column appears each Wednesday.

Richard Esposito

Richard Esposito is the publisher of the Mountain Democrat.

View all my stories Email Me REspositoMtDemo

Discussion | 14 comments

The Mountain Democrat does not necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy

MDReaderSeptember 06, 2011 - 10:58 am
Considering the horror of 9/11, two particular omissions by the 9/11 Commission stand out: • their failure to insist that the four planes that crashed be forensically identified, and • the fact that the Report makes not a single mention of the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7. The victims of this atrocity deserve a full investigation into the crime of 9/11.
Gold Miner JimSeptember 06, 2011 - 12:04 pm
Just what do you believe forensically will be discovered of the planes? That they carried more than passengers? What kind of conspiracy are you driving at? As for the collapse of WTC building 7 what's the point? The buildings in the immediate area of the WTC were damaged by the collapse. The sheer weight of both towers dropping from that distance weakened other structures around them. Full investigation of the "crime"? Since when is a terrorist attack on our soil identified as a crime unless you seriously believe this attack was staged? Maybe it was just another right wing conspiracy. Come on - get real.
MDReaderSeptember 06, 2011 - 1:41 pm
By whatever name, a crime was committed against all those who died on 9/11. Properly, crimes of such magnitude are rigorously investigated. Murder weapons, as for any other crime, are identified. For instance, the core of the right engine of the plane that hit the South Tower had been disposed of in a landfill in Staten Island. Subsequent to the 9/11 Commission independent researchers determined that this engine almost certainly did not come from a United Airlines Boeing 767. It should be identified. Regarding WTC 7, it was two blocks away from WTC1 and 2. It was only superficially hit by debris when 1 and 2 collapsed. Fires in WTC7 were minimal. Yet at 5:22 p.m. WTC 7 came down in a free fall. Why? Anyone who lost loved ones in the tragedy of 9/11 would want the event fully investigated. Yet we have been satisfied with an investigation that ignored these and other significant problems. Can we claim to have fulfilled our duty to those who perished?
James E.September 06, 2011 - 1:57 pm
The reason that citizens don't want this even discussed is because were it found to be true they would have to deal with the most hideous crime ever committed against our nation. I continue to wonder about Building 7.
MDReaderSeptember 06, 2011 - 2:30 pm
WTC7 -- This is an Orange: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv7BImVvEyk
WSeptember 06, 2011 - 3:29 pm
are you a structural engineer?
MDReaderSeptember 06, 2011 - 3:34 pm
No, but there are plenty to be found here: http://www.ae911truth.org/
MDReaderSeptember 06, 2011 - 3:41 pm
Ron Brookman, structural engineer: http://cms.ae911truth.org/index.php/news/41-articles/288-ae911truth-structural-engineer-dismantles-the-nist-analysis-of-wtc-7.html
PatriotSeptember 06, 2011 - 2:28 pm
Amazing that the Mr Esposito still conflates 9-11 and Iraq. Even GW Bush acknowledges that there was absolutely no linkage between the two. As far as "harboring terrorists", Hussein was the only leader in the region who opposed the Islamists, as they threatened his secularist rule. Saddam was a bad guy to be sure. There were and are many in the world, visiting horrors and death upon their own populace. Somalia, Darfur, Rwanda, Myanmar, etc. Hussein was by no means the worst. But he did have the oil.
MDReaderSeptember 06, 2011 - 2:47 pm
The Legend of 9/11 — 10 Years On : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF-Rp4W_ABE&feature=player_embedded "Dedicated to the memory of those who were killed on September 11, 2001. It is dedicated to those who have suffered and died since, because of the immorality of the perpetrators of this terrible crime."
Jesus H ChristSeptember 08, 2011 - 2:00 pm
Mr Esposito, Iraq had nothing to do with the attack on the Twin Towers. You would greatly help the sales of the Mt. Democrat if you would quit with the lies and just tell the truth.
True -September 10, 2011 - 5:11 am
Bush: "Saddam was not responsible for 9/11" http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/sep/12/september11.usa2
ANSWER:September 09, 2011 - 4:44 am
Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s Reich Minister of Propaganda
Foothills fanSeptember 09, 2011 - 9:44 am
Thank you Mr. Esposito for pointing out it was Islamic terrorists that hit us. I'm not hearing that from any other news sources. They seem to be having difficluty in uttering those words. Wonder why? I also see you're upsetting Obama's "Brown Shirts" with your mention of the Iraq war. We did the UN's bidding so why get upset? Someone had to stand up to Saddam. We're doing it Lybia now. What's the dufference? Oh yeah, now we're following the Messiah in the White House so I guess that makes it noble.