UPDATE:
The Pentagon video that has been widely featured announcing the deployment of 2000 US Marines to Libya is a March 2011 video. There are current reports that 50 Marines are being sent to Libya to reinforce the embassy there.
Here is an MSNBC report on this issue:
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Original Post:
The folks at Schriever Air Force base in Colorado — “Team Schriever” — yesterday dedicated a fitting memorial to the victims of 9/11 and to the service members who have given their lives in combat since that day.
It is a “tortured” steel beam that once supported one of the World Trade Center Towers.
The words spoken yesterday during the dedication ceremony — before the tragic events in Benghazi, Libya — were eerily prophetic.
Referring to the steel beam that once supported a structure more than 13,000 feet tall, Col. James Ross, 50th Space Wing commander, said that the beam represents the reality that people live in an era of persistent conflict and must stand ready to confront aggression from an array of state and non-state actors.
The steel beam is “a piece of American history” shared with “Team Schriever” by New York City and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The American Forces Press Service:
The artifact display is designed to be a tribute to all three sites affected by the events of 9/11, as well as provide a somber place of reflection. The plaza is a replica of the East Coast, with the blue pavement representing the ocean and the tan, the land. Each site is identified by a yellow circle, with the outline of the states evident. The path leading up to the site signifies the flight path of the airplanes. The beam is mounted upright as a symbol of the nation’s resolve.
During the dedication ceremony, Donald Addy, Colorado 30 Group chairman and former president of the National Homeland Defense Foundation, said:
Remember especially those brave souls who have died in [the nation’s] defense. While we remember this nation was attacked and innocent people died, let us also remember that the greatness of this nation was awakened. Let us remember that the spirit of a united America was as evident that day as was the tragedy and grief. Let us vow to remember both the grief and the greatness.
The “greatness” that was awakened and the “resolve” that was tested during and after 9/11 may once again be called to task as we are faced once again with aggression from “non-state actors.”
Read more here
Correction:
A March 2011 Pentagon video announcing the deployment of 2.000 Marines to Libya was erroneously posted and has been removed. The author regrets any confusion caused.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.