My soon to be 3 yr old son, my wife and I had flew down to Tampa from Chicago to do the final walk through on a new home we were buying. I had just finished 10 years of active duty in the Navy and had just been hired by Delta Air Lines. I was supposed to be based in Orlando. We had sold our home in San Diego and had been living in my parents home for a couple months while I was going through training. I was supposed to fly my first flight with passengers in the coming week. We pulled up to our prospective new home on the east side of Tampa in Lithia, FL on the morning of Sept 11. No one showed up. The house was open, so we walked around to see if maybe someone was inside. We returned to our rental car and turned on the radio and had heard a plane had run into the World Trade Center. I immediately thought a private plane. I even recalled a story of a bomber that ran into the Empire State Building just after WWII had ended. We sat for a few more minutes and then drove over to the model home and office to find out why no one had met us. The TV was on and I saw the smoke billowing out of the tower. Shortly thereafter we saw the other plane hit the second tower. It was clearly a commercial airliner. I was overcome with emotions and was unable to process my thoughts. People are literally jumping out of the building. The first thing I said to my wife was I was out of work and the second thing I said is we are going to war. In hindsight I regret the first thing I said. It was a selfish thing to say considering all the death and destruction. I think some of it was the initial shock and the some was the stress of buying a home. I then was really angry, especially since I had just gotten out of the military and was out of the mix after our country was attacked. After starting to process what had happened, I remembered a squadron mate of mine from San Diego. He was hired at Delta a couple months before me and they had moved to the area we were looking at. I knew he was flying that day and we called his wife because we figured she would be freaked out. Later that day we went over to their house. Her husband called and said they had landed in the Northeast and that he and a few passengers on his plane were renting a car together and driving to Tampa. Since we were in a hotel and all the flights were cancelled our friends offered for us to stay with them. My friend and I discussed driving up to NYC to help with the search. We decided with all the chaos we would just be in the way. The night of the 11th also had a couple of other surprises. Tropical Storm Gabrielle had just formed out in the Gulf and my wife came out of the bathroom and announced she was pregnant. It was a busy day. Our country had been attacked, thousands of people had been murdered, I was buying a house, I was about to lose my job, a potential Hurricane was heading towards Tampa, and I had a baby on the way. That evening I went to bed needing something to hold on to and provide a light amongst all the despair. I recalled the Gettysburg Address and "Shall Not Perish From The Earth". The country had just gone through its darkest period and the President had dealt with unimaginable decisions. I suggested that if our baby was a boy that we name him Lincoln. It was the light and hope I needed. Lincoln is 24 years old now. My older son was about to have a birthday on the 14th. We had kept him away from the TV. We also knew he shouldn't miss out on his 3rd birthday. My friend and I drove out in the middle of Tropical Storm Gabrielle and found a Publix open and bought a birthday cake. We had a makeshift party at my friend's house. Some normalcy was welcome. My friend left to fly again on the 15th. I cleaned up the tree debris and moss in their yard from the storm. It was a welcome diversion from the 24/7 news cycle. We had also decided to go through on buying the house providing I would qualify despite my pending unemployment. We said we would figure something out. We had already been living with my parents for too long. I ended up furloughed for 5 1/2 years. Shortly after 9/11 I went over to CENTCOM in Tampa and worked on General Franks staff during Operation Enduring Freedom. I then found a regular job. I returned to Delta in the spring of 2007. It was a difficult decision to return. My new career was going well. However, I felt my career at Delta was unfinished business and that terrorists don't dictate when I am done with a career. I have been flying with Delta since 2007 and retirement is on the horizon. My family will never forget. 9/11 was some terrible lows but it provided the opportunity to demonstrate resilience and faith. We have been blessed with both.