Americans all remember what we were doing on that fateful day in September. We always will. My heart has been moved each year as various ceremonies honored and remembered the fallen, and gave thanks to current crop of soldiers, fireman, policeman, nurses, and EMTs.

I’ve seen these heroes honored at baseball games, school ceremonies, and a plethora of TV award shows. Oddly enough, my greatest revelation of this day and what it means to us now came to me this year, smack dab in the middle of a Cheap Trick concert.

Technically, it was before Cheap Trick came on. An AC/DC tribute band called Back In Black had just finished playing. The local radio jocks were on stage making nice with the sponsors. However, because this was a free concert dedicated to the aforementioned life and freedom preservation specialists, they were also bringing some of these local heroes up for some public Thank Yous.

As an audience, we clapped and cheered. The crowd seemed, indeed, genuinely appreciative. The band had even taken a moment out of their set to acknowledge the service of these fine Americans. I started to have my usual feelings of guilt. Though my wife is a nurse, I myself do nothing to ensure freedom or safety for our country. Outside of killing a few computer viruses, I’m no more dangerous than a bag of marshmallows. I found myself again feeling bad that there are those out there fighting for our lives and our freedom, while I’m standing here between Andre the Giant and his fist full of beer and Paula Pierce-it-all singing Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

Then it hit me. I mean it really, finally, honestly hit me. We’ve seen the creation of a day that is in fact a celebration of our freedom. We were at this concert because we could be, and because we wanted to be. The musicians were playing because they wanted to, and they could. The honorary Firemen and EMTs that were there chose those careers and were allowed to pursue them because they had the freedom to do so. I have felt sorry for our nation every anniversary of September 11th… until now.

Don’t get me wrong. Nothing hurts more than thinking about those children that will grow up without mothers or fathers. Children whose parents died in service… that hurts the most. If a magic genie gave me one wish, the power to bring those kids’ parents back would be it. But it’s high time, for me anyway, to start reveling in our freedom again.

I enjoyed the concert. Cheap Trick was great, and so were the opening bands. But on this day my general outlook on an important day was changed. The terrorists did not win. We are stronger as a people, and we care a bit more about each other. Certainly we have rekindled respect for our servicemen, respect that seemed to have waned after Vietnam. We have the ability to choose most aspects of our lives, and we do so. We can choose when and where to go to church, work, school, and how to spend our free time and money. On this night, many of us chose to take in an aging, but still dynamic rock show. Collectively, we honored, remembered, and thanked those that helped give us the freedom and safety to make these choices. September 11th is the Memorial Day for the next few generations. I finally understand it now.