A New Era

I've just finished watching the inauguration of our 44th president. So much has already been said about the significance of this moment in history. Even though I can't lay claim to any African American cultural heritage, I was still deeply moved by the idea that we are closer to equality than perhaps ever before.

This is one of the moments in history that I can tell my children and grandchildren about: those moments when you'll never forget where you were when you learned it happened. For other generations, those moments were the attack on Pearl Harbor and the assassination of JFK. I don't quite remember what I was doing when the Berlin Wall fell, and my recollections of the Gulf War are fuzzy at best.

But I do remember a fateful morning in my sophomore year of high school. In Spanish, my first class, there were rumors of news from New York. A small plane, perhaps a single-prop, had accidentally glanced off of a building. Anyway, no matter, class had to continue. But in my second class, chemistry, the teacher was listening to the radio. He didn't attempt to teach the day's lesson. Instead, we listened to the confused and panicked reports. Realization slowly hit me that this was much larger than an amateur pilot's navigation error. Confusion ruled the day, but by the evening, details emerged. September 11th would be a day to remember.

In contrast, I'm proud to say that I will always remember today. At the end of one of the most ground-breaking elections in American history, a victor emerged. He brought hope and moral values back into the hearts of Americans. In a time of seeming darkness, he is offering light. And this evening (for my time zone), that leader has been sworn in as the defender of the free world, and my new Commander in Chief. I'm proud to say that when President Barrack Obama was elected, and when he was sworn in, I was serving my country in a combat zone, defending the people and the country I love. Though it pains me to be away from my beautiful new wife, my family and friends, I'm proud to say I've done my part for America. For all it's flaws, our country still remains a beacon of hope and opportunity in the world.

So pray with me. Pray that President Obama will be imbued with wisdom and integrity, foresight and energy. He'll need them on the road ahead. God Bless America.