The first overt act of terrorism occurred on November 1979, when Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an outright attack on Sovereign American soil: This overt attack held the world's most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. This attack on the U. S. Embassy set the stage for events to follow over the next 24 years.

Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnapped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could or did little to protect her citizens living and working abroad.

The attacks against United States soil continued. In April of 1983 a vehicle loaded with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut. The Terrorist explodes the truck, killing 63 people. The United States was overtly warned again.

Just six months later another large truck, heavily laden down with TNT, smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut and 241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns her dead and casually wonders, why they apparently hate us.

This was followed by a pause of two months, until December 1983, when yet another truck loaded with explosives was driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait. Casual curiosity and wonder also surround this event, but again without decisive United States action.

The Middle East shifted it's attention until the following year, when in September 1984, another vehicle, a van was again driven into the gates of the US Embassy in Beirut and again America took no overt action.

Apparently to the Terrorist, Americans were considered an easy target and soon the terrorism spreads to Europe. In April 1985, a bomb explodes in a restaurant commonly frequented by US soldiers in Madrid.

Later in August of the same year, a Volkswagen loaded with explosives was driven into the main gate of the US Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, Germany where 22 are killed and again US interests have been continually attacked without specific retribution.

A short fifty-nine days later, the cruise ship Achille Lauro is hijacked and we watched the act on television, as an American in a wheel-chair was singled out of the passenger list and summarily executed.

The terrorists then shifted their tactics, focusing on civilian airliners and bomb TWA Flight 840, in April of 1986.

Then the most tragic civilian airline bombing, Pan Am Flight 103, killing 259 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. At this time, the United States treated these acts as crimes rather than acts of foreign terrorism. Currently, we are still attempting to bring the perpetrators to trial.

Still America remains passive and without staunch action and the Terrorist elect to bring the attacks to United States soil. In January 1993 two Central Intelligence Agents were shot and killed as they entered CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

In the following month, February 1993, a group of terrorists were arrested after a rented van packed with explosives was driven into the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people were killed and over 1000 were injured. Still this is again viewed as a crime and not an act of war.

In November 1995, a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women.

The following year in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroyed the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over 500. As you can see the terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America apparently does not respond decisively.

Their following move was to coordinate attacks simultaneously on two US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These attacks were planned with precision. They kill a total of 224. This time America does responds with cruise missiles but with questionable effects and moves on.

Next, was the USS Cole, docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on October 12, 2000. A small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded, killing 17 U.S. Navy Sailors. Even though the attacking of an U.S. War Ship would normally be considered an act of war, The United States responded by sending the FBI to investigate the crime.

And of course we all know and are aware of the events on September 11, 2001. Most Americans presume this was the first attack against U.S. soil or in America. How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979. And for that matter, it seems as though until the attack upon the Twin Towers in New York, we as a nation could find a way to remain calm, and consider that all of the above incidents were merely isolated cases.

Until this occurrence it was politically correct to provide the necessary lip service for the American public and outwardly remain a friendly nation to the world.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was our enemy, the Japanese Admiral, Yamamoto who said "...it seems all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant." This is precisely what we must do for the American public and send the message to any and all adversaries around the world and immediately back it up with actions as surely as the law of gravity.

This is about our Freedom and the Freedom of our children and grandchildren in years to come. The message "We must never forget" must be delivered to the young people for it is they we entrust the future of the United States of America and all it stands for.