9/11 Commemorative Issue

Book Review: No Easy Day

9/11 Commemorative Issue, Lifestyle, Special Issues September 16, 2012 at 2:38 pm Comments are Disabled

Everyone remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing on Sept. 11, 2001. But what were you doing on May 2, 2011? Former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette, under the pen name Mark Owen, describes how he spent his day in detail in his new book, “No Easy Day”, the firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden. Despite my reservations about being lost in a book that detailed the military, a topic I don’t usually find myself interested in, I downloaded “No Easy Day” on Kindle. By the end of the first chapter, I was hooked. Bissonnette is a brilliant writer and vividly captures his emotions and memories of his training as a SEAL and the missions that led to the capture and killing of bin Laden. In between chapters, I frequently stopped to remind myself that the story I was reading was a true first-person account and not a fictional account of the throes of war. But as I continued to read, I became concerned about the content of the book and its nature. In the preface, Bissonnette stresses that he went to great lengths to avoid disclosing sensitive material and military secrets. Though it […]
Professors Promote Diplomacy Through Sport

9/11 Commemorative Issue, Featured, Special Issues, Sports September 16, 2012 at 2:25 pm Comments are Disabled

The power and the impact of sport is undeniable. Serving many functions in our lives, sport works to develop communication skills and promote teamwork, all the while bringing communities together as one. Perhaps lesser known, sport can also promote a world of peace and cross-cultural understanding that is stronger than any barrier languages and cultures may build. “You don’t need to speak the same language because you are out there just playing and competing in sports,” said Craig Esherick, Associate Director of the Center for Sport Management. In many ways, the language of sport is the only universal language in the world. Through a grant awarded by SportsUnited, a division of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Mason professors Esherick, Dr. Bob Baker and Dr. Pam Baker have been working in a diplomatic effort to promote peace and shape the world view on America and its citizens. “More than anything, we overcome linguistic challenges by having strong interests in the American culture,” said Marlon Moreno, a Mexican coach who visited the United States as part of the program in mid-August. Esherick and Bob Baker began working with the State Department on a new sport initiative […]
USAF Veteran Finds Healing in Philosophy Program

9/11 Commemorative Issue, News1, Special Issues September 16, 2012 at 2:21 pm Comments are Disabled

As American Airlines Flight 77 approached the Pentagon, it took out power lines and a generator before smashing into the western side of the building. Fifty-three passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash and a section of the Pentagon collapsed from impact. Senior Airman Rachel Moran, a computer systems operator for the Air Force at the Pentagon, just happened to not be at work that September morning. “It was a surreal time,” Moran said. “Things at work didn’t really change until the war in 2003 but in other aspects of life everything changed immediately. Everyone was just in shock.” One week after the attacks, letters containing anthrax were mailed to several news media offices and politicians, killing five and infecting 17. Just one year later, John Allen Mohammed and Lee Boyd Malvo terrorized the Beltway with a spree of sniper shootings. The series of events heightened the fear and threat of terrorism in the country, and partially led to Moran’s decision to retire in 2004 to spend more time at home with her family. Before she worked for the Air Force, Moran served in another capacity as a military spouse. She and her husband had decided that […]
Deployment Helps Strengthen Father-Daughter Bond

9/11 Commemorative Issue, News1, Special Issues September 16, 2012 at 2:19 pm Comments are Disabled

Colonel Matthew Haber sat at the foot of his daughter’s bed, repeating the words, “I love you” as tears rolled down his cheeks. Anna Haber was just 11 years old when her father broke the news: He was being deployed to Stuttgart, Germany and would be away for four months. She lay in bed that night, watching her father cry for just the second time in her life, but she was still too young to really understand. “At that age, it doesn’t set in until the next day when your dad isn’t there,” said Anna, now a junior marketing major at Mason. “At that point, you can’t just call and tell him to come home.” Col. Haber spent four months in Germany, leaving his wife to care for both Anna and her younger brother, Michael. Both children were becoming increasingly involved in sports and choir but Jane Haber, Anna’s mother, did what she had to do to keep everything as normal as possible. “It helps having good kids,” Mrs. Haber said. “You have no choice. You just do what you have to do. But the kids made it easy.” Still, though, his time in Germany would pale in comparison to […]
Proud to be an American

9/11 Commemorative Issue, Editorials, Special Issues September 16, 2012 at 2:14 pm Comments are Disabled

A robed figure of Libertas, Roman goddess of freedom, stands tall in New York Harbor. Dedicated in 1886 by the people of France, Libertas bears a torch upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence: July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet as this statue, the Statue of Liberty, serves as a representation of the American culture and welcomes immigrants arriving from abroad. But what does it mean to be an American? As you stand atop the hill, watching the guard pace back and forth with such precision as he guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the skyline of Washington D.C. faintly peers through the trees. More than 400,000 headstones mark our nation’s fallen heroes, lying in the forefront of the nation’s capital. Pausing for a moment to pay my respects to my great-grandfather, Captain James E. Herbert, I was overcome by the sacrifice made by each of these young men and women. Each of the headstones, markers that stretched across the 624-acre mass of rolling hills, signified the true cost of our nation’s greatest quality. Freedom is not free. Freedom comes at the significant cost of the more than 400,000 people […]
Green Colleen: Red, White & Chew

9/11 Commemorative Issue, Editorials, Special Issues September 16, 2012 at 2:12 pm Comments are Disabled

When I was in fourth grade, I was confused beyond belief as to why terrorists had attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing thousands of innocent people. In my naivety, I had failed to grasp the concept of the word terrorist, one that my young ears had never heard before. Unfortunately, I learned more than I ever should have about the evils of the world as a ten year old on that terrible day. As a resident of Northern Virginia and the descendent of veterans on both sides of my family, being patriotic and recognizing the sacrifice made by millions of Americans, both civilian and enlisted, for their country, is one of my greatest duties. Politics aside, I couldn’t agree more with President Obama’s encouragement for all Americans to go out and volunteer to recognize the 9/11 attacks and honor the victims. Though I was young, I remember being amazed as the whole country pulled itself together and became united as neighbors, friends and family reached out to help and support one another in the wake of the attack. That mentality has fallen by the wayside over the past 11 years, but this Tuesday, take a moment to remember […]
The Carouser Report: All-American Collegiate Beer Review

9/11 Commemorative Issue, Editorials, Special Issues September 16, 2012 at 2:08 pm Comments are Disabled

‘Merica. We love our beer. Nowhere is this more apparent than college campuses across this great nation. From Juneau, Alaska to Tallahassee Florida and everywhere in between, college partiers are pounding cases of these great American beers. They want it cheap, chuggable, and easy to forget the next morning. Below are the top five most All-American collegiate beers for your drinking pleasure. Natural Light: 4.2 % ABV The most iconic of all collegiate beers, Natural Light, also called “Nattie” is first up on the list. If you’ve never beer bonged one of these suckers, you’ve most likely never been to college. Introduced in 1977, this beer been knocking partiers-goers out ever since. Part of the Anheuser-Busch Family, the empty carcasses of this great beer are sure to be found at every college party. Drinkability: There is a reason college kids love this beer so much. You can drink a ton of it and never feel full. There isn’t much to say in terms of taste. Long gulps from your garden house will yield the same flavor. Cost: It doesn’t get much cheaper than Natural Light. If your scour your couch, car, and piggy bank for some extra change, you […]