Traveling to Washington DC will always be an exciting experience for me and my family. It's where my recovery started after being wounded in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom while serving in the United States Army. The freezing cold temperatures and the snow falling in the winter made this time spent in DC very special. My daughters had never seen snow before, we are from, and now live back in Florida. Everything about the snow was new and exciting for them, and they still talk about it to this day.
While we were on our way back to Florida, the snow was starting to melt. Seeing snow melt felt like everything around me was stopping in space and in time. Since being from Florida, and hardly ever experiencing snow, it was like the general relativity that defines time and space as a continuum was warped by the presence of the energy of the melting snow. Remembering the serenity and feeling of order that the snow was bringing me was gradually declining back to disorder.
Being blind, I rely on other senses and the feelings of my surroundings. Because I have to be so in tune with my surroundings I usually remain calm. Sort of like a tranquility. I was in the Palm Beach International airport on January 06, 2017, only 57.8 miles away from the Fort Lauderdale Airport when the shootings took place. I could feel the the presence of panic throughout the airport as the news reported the unfolding of events happening at an airport that was barely an hour away. Hearing the panic and whispers of voices all around me talking about the shooting, evacuating travelers, rumors of more shots fired, and that 40 people had been injured turned my usually calm and collected demeanor into that of unsettled confusion.
As a Veteran who has fought for this country to ensure the safety of our people and prevent acts of terror from happening in the United States, it seems that attacks such as this one are becoming increasingly common. When the reality of another terrorist act came into my mind, I couldn't help but think about all my brothers and sisters in arms who have also fought, were injured, and died so we could live in peace in our own country. If we have a strong military, and strong travel securities, why is this happening?
Now a feeling of grief is overpowering me. I'm in disbelief. I have been listening to the news on a radio and they announced that the suspect, the person shooting, was a Latino veteran...I'm a Latino veteran. How can someone just like me, who took the same oath I did to defend and uphold the constitution and defend the citizens of this country to something so heinous. It was like being kicked in the gut. So many people who aren't from this country, join the United States Military, serve the United States, and make this great country their home. How could this one person that I have something in common with, hurt this country.
Being blind, I rely on other senses and the feelings of my surroundings. Because I have to be so in tune with my surroundings I usually remain calm. Sort of like a tranquility. I was in the Palm Beach International airport on January 06, 2017, only 57.8 miles away from the Fort Lauderdale Airport when the shootings took place. I could feel the the presence of panic throughout the airport as the news reported the unfolding of events happening at an airport that was barely an hour away. Hearing the panic and whispers of voices all around me talking about the shooting, evacuating travelers, rumors of more shots fired, and that 40 people had been injured turned my usually calm and collected demeanor into that of unsettled confusion.
As a Veteran who has fought for this country to ensure the safety of our people and prevent acts of terror from happening in the United States, it seems that attacks such as this one are becoming increasingly common. When the reality of another terrorist act came into my mind, I couldn't help but think about all my brothers and sisters in arms who have also fought, were injured, and died so we could live in peace in our own country. If we have a strong military, and strong travel securities, why is this happening?
Now a feeling of grief is overpowering me. I'm in disbelief. I have been listening to the news on a radio and they announced that the suspect, the person shooting, was a Latino veteran...I'm a Latino veteran. How can someone just like me, who took the same oath I did to defend and uphold the constitution and defend the citizens of this country to something so heinous. It was like being kicked in the gut. So many people who aren't from this country, join the United States Military, serve the United States, and make this great country their home. How could this one person that I have something in common with, hurt this country.
Too sad to realize what's going on around me anymore, I'm trying to figure out answers about how this could even happen again, in an airport of all places. TSA wont let you on a plane with a bottle of water that you didn't buy IN the terminal, you have to practically take everything off to do through metal detectors to even get into the terminals, there are so many security measures in place so people can't get into the terminals with weapons or dangerous substances, how was this shooting even possible?
When the whole ordeal was over, the FBI allowed this guy to turn himself in after telling them he heard voices and other things telling him he needed to join ISIS, he basically got a slap on the wrist having his gun retained for 330 days because he had no actual terrorist ties. But this is terrorism! It doesn't have to be ISIS or any other group of "terrorists" for something like this to be terrorism!
Where do they draw the line? This person was receiving treatment for PTSD and is a war veteran, but he also has 13 charges of domestic violence in the span of one year, and is in fact on the watch list for possible Islamic Radicalization, how was he even able to walk into the airport with a gun, let alone get past security? Someone like you and me would have to be strip searched, and have to have a metal detector ran up and down us, but this one individual who already is suspicious gets though, how does this even happen?
When the whole ordeal was over, the FBI allowed this guy to turn himself in after telling them he heard voices and other things telling him he needed to join ISIS, he basically got a slap on the wrist having his gun retained for 330 days because he had no actual terrorist ties. But this is terrorism! It doesn't have to be ISIS or any other group of "terrorists" for something like this to be terrorism!
Where do they draw the line? This person was receiving treatment for PTSD and is a war veteran, but he also has 13 charges of domestic violence in the span of one year, and is in fact on the watch list for possible Islamic Radicalization, how was he even able to walk into the airport with a gun, let alone get past security? Someone like you and me would have to be strip searched, and have to have a metal detector ran up and down us, but this one individual who already is suspicious gets though, how does this even happen?
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