I live in Indiana but I was in Manhattan the day the towers fell. I was just 21. What a day it was and my how my opinion of those events has changed! I shared this on social media (where I keep it mild in hopes to peek the interest of some 😂) and thought I’d share here too.

Spc. Administrater April Gallop was in her office at the pentagon on September 11, 2001. It was her first day back after giving birth to her son Elisha. He was going to the daycare next door but she brought him to work first to address important paperwork. He was 10 weeks old and in a stroller next to Aprils desk as she turned her computer on to start the day. The next instance she was half buried in rubble and writhing in pain. She found her son unconscious but alive amidst the wreckage, scooped him up and made it out through the gaping hole left by an explosion, then collapsed on the pentagon lawn. In the hospital, April was shocked to learn a plane had caused the destruction that would leave her permanently disabled. She had walked out of the impact entrance. There was no plane, or plane parts, or luggage, or fuel or any evidence that she could recall from that day to support what she was hearing. April may have accepted the explanations to what she had experienced if it were not for the events that followed. As she was recovering in the hospital, 2 men came to offer her money from the victim relief fund. As with all the other victims the govornment payout was conditional upon a signed agreement to give up the right to sue the airlines or anyone else. The timing and pushiness of these unidentified men did not seem right to the still foggy mind of this soldier. She did not sign and as the days went on, only more questions arose. After the towers were hit, how could there have been no warning or alerts in the most heavily defended airspace in the world? Was there no protocols in place for the United States military headquarters? Why would the govornment be offering so much money so soon? And most of all why were these questions being met with contempt? She never did take the money, though she certainly needed it, now that she walked with a cane. Her son Elisha was physically ok, but there were developmental delays from the head trauma he suffered. She would face these struggles as a single mother. Though family and friends helped, the relationships were strained as frustration and tension grew when April would not accept this much needed settlement. It felt like hush money. She wanted justice for those who were responsible. Perhaps April was niave to think she would get her day in court. Perhaps she knew her efforts were in vain but wanted to bring public attention to it. There were many others that made the same attempt and even high ranking officials, like Major General Albert Stubblebine who also believed that the story being told simply wasn’t plausible. As it is, the federal govornment has sovereign immunity as does the military. After exhausting all appeals, April had to admit defeat. The country she served so proudly, that awarded her the Purple Heart for her sacrifice was ensuring her silence. She needed to focus on her son who was now school age. Once a student, he began to regress on even basic functions. The public school system failed her too as it was incapable of meeting his needs and was actually doing more harm. April was now a warrior for her son. She pulled him from school and assimilated a team, some of which were volunteers, that could meet his needs and provide him an education. In time these efforts paid off and he was able to go to regular school and did very well. She continued to work for accountability from the airlines and other parties but it was many years in litugation. (I don’t know what came of this if anything). In the mean time she had to survive on her pension, occasional child support, and help from the VA. She had to navigate the frustrating system that the rest of our disabled soldiers deal with, along with intense criticism for her convictions about the attacks. There is more that could be said on Aprils actions to help other victims and families and her rally to change security laws. But I will let her story rest here and share a line from the testimony she gave at one of the hearings she was able to speak at:
. "There's an invisible wound in my heart that can only be closed with truth”
April was referring to her trauma but these are profound words as they cut right to the core of the human condition. All of us are born into a fallen world with an invisible wound caused by a lie that only truth can heal. I don’t know what April and Elisha are doing today but I pray that she has found truth . It is not the confession of a corrupt government. It is not the hidden deeds of evil men or unveiling the corruption of this world. Truth is a person - Jesus Christ. Even if all were held accountable, it would not bring the healing she is seeks. Her efforts were noble in that fighting for any truth is defending the reality that God established. However, He wants us to merit from it as well as defend it. What did our Lord do when lies condemned Him? He submitted to the suffering they caused, rendering them powerless against Him. It is a weapon no one can fight against. This is the peace that I want for April and Elisha. I hope they are wrapped in the arms of Truth every day, healed by the Great Doctor the validates all that is certain. Uniting suffering to His provides an armour in this life that no injury or affliction can penetrate. The Christian soldier serves the the Truth. If our God is allowing it, let the war continue and the forces show their might, let the slander and violence rise to new heights against it. Let every building crumble around us til only dust remains. It is of no consequence when even death has no power.

Regardless of the deception that day, the heartache and heros were very real. May the peace of Christ be with them all.