Posted: 9/11/2002 5:22:50 AM EDT
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I live and work in eastern Tennessee, which I've always thought of as one of the most patriotic places in the country. This morning, the HR director of our german owned and managed company was walking around the office and the shop informing everyone that the entire company was to take a fifteen minute break starting at 8:46am in rememberance of September the 11th, 2001. I walked outside and looked around. I saw a black pickup, owned by one of our welders, with a flagpole welded into the bed, and the stars and stripes slowly flapping in the breeze. I felt uplifted by the sight--my mind was in other, darker places up until then. Walking out into the parking lot, I began to see some of my fellow co-workers from the office side. Not a word was said about what happened a year ago. Not one. Bear in mind these are engineers, draftsmen, 3D modellers, and the like. Well educated, well paid individuals in an industry that hasn't really suffered over the last year--in fact we're busier than ever. But these folks can't take a brief second of the fifteen minutes our GERMAN bosses--who seem to get it more than some of us do--gave us to reflect, to discuss. Nope, just the usual BS session. Old Glory flies in the parking lot, and echo Taps played by the USAF Heritage of America bands streams from my office... and not another soul seems to care. |