I am a police officer in Louisiana. I was serving my 11th day as co-interim police chief of my local department. I was at my desk taking care of daily business when my wife called me to tell me that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I somehow took it in stride as I continued my work. It was around 7:45 am and I was due at an important meeting at the mayor’s office at 8:00 am, so I needed to get a move on. Moments later, my wife called me back to tell me that she had actually seen on television, another plane hit the other building. A cold chill went over me.

I went to my meeting and the mayor met me at the door and said that our meeting would probably be cancelled, but I was to go on in his office to view the coverage of the disaster on TV. As I sat there with the other department heads, we were all pretty much glued to the set. I sat right next to the Fire Chief when the first tower collapsed, and he said, “My God, there had to have been hundreds of firefighters in that building. It turns out he was dreadfully correct. We continued to watch as reports came in of the Pentagon being hit, and yet another plane going down in Pennsylvania. I was very scared for our nation as I said that this was the beginning of a major war.

I didn’t know why someone had done so, but I knew by what I was seeing that someone had declared war on my beloved America.

New in the job that I had taken on, we had to change our views of law enforcement all together. We had to begin a whole new work. We called in many extra officers that day, and the days to follow. To this day we continue to work under the pretense that it can and probably will happen again. We pray that the military will help to keep these tragic events from happening on our homefront ever again.

God Bless the families of my fallen brothers in blue, and the families of those who perished.

Most of all GOD BLESS AMERICA.