TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; America has taken back the sky at Ground Zero. The new World Trade Center is 84 stories, going on 101, and not because we couldnand#8217;t go higher. They decided 1,776 feet was high enough, since the number honored the year of our Declaration of Independence. and#8220;Letand#8217;s roll,and#8221; said the men who gallantly charged forward on Flight 93 to challenge the terrorist highjackers. and#8220;We are all Americans todayand#8221; was the headline in the French newspaper back in 2001. Once the rallying cry was and#8220;Never forget,and#8221; now itand#8217;s and#8220;Retaking the Sky.and#8221; Will Americans still pay the price for freedom?- We could ask the families of more than 6,000 fallen soldiers, or the 45,000 wounded souls. Even still we remember Lexington and Concord, the Alamo, Gettysburg and Pearl Harbor. We also remember that cell phone call from Flight 93 that may very well have been CeeCee Lyleand#8217;s last words, and#8220;I hope to be able to see your face again, baby. And I love you, good bye.and#8221; Weand#8217;ve watched the children of 9-11 grow up without their fathers. One young man said, I wished he could have been there to teach me how to drive, to ask a girl out on a date, and to see me graduate, and hope that he would be proud of the young men we have become. Ten years later we remember. I watched a granddaughter run into the fire-scarred hands of her grandmother who was trapped in the inferno at the Pentagon. We remember the reports of young people making the sign of the cross before jumping to their deaths. And so it is 10 years later many of us cling to the words of the Galilean, and#8220;In my Fatherand#8217;s house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.and#8221;

Hundreds of motorcyclists provided escort for some of those gunned down recently at the IHOP in Carson City. Those riders were primarily from the Nevada Patriot Guard who routinely honor service men and women solely at the request of their families. They stand flag lines and sometimes shield away protesters who might disrupt grieving families. So next time you see a and#8220;scaryand#8221; motorcyclist, just remember he might very well volunteer to honor a military member of your family some day.-

There was plenty of heroism to go around at the Reno Air Races after the horrific crash. Doctors, nurses, military veterans and others immediately came forward to assist the emergency crews in what was a pretty gruesome scene. The Rev. Thomas Babu hurried to the scene from four blocks away when he heard the sirens race by. and#8220;Tragedy brings people together. We become more good human beings when there is something bad happening around us,and#8221; he said. You never know when holding hands and praying might be the most important thing you do in life, something from your destiny.-

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There has been a day of tears for Truckee adults with developmental disabilities. The Choices Day Program has been canceled due to budget cuts. Choices helped provide vocational training, community integration, self advocacy, and self help skills to special needs adults. So often, itand#8217;s the case that those who can least afford it suffer the most under the budget axe. Itand#8217;s simply a matter of faith, that someone, perhaps a church, or a benefactor, or volunteers will stand in the gap for Truckeeand#8217;s special ones.

Come Thanksgiving time, they will simply have nowhere to go.

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and#8220;They saved my life,and#8221; said the injured motorcyclist. Yes, there are angels and heroes walking around clothed in human skin. Youand#8217;d think so too if a group of people lifted up a flaming 3,800 pound BMW and pulled you out to safety. These students in Utah put their lives on the line, and as long as thatand#8217;s the kind of people we are, Americans have nothing to fear. These words echo down through the ages, and#8220;Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.and#8221;

and#8212; Randy Allen is as Sierra Sun columnist, worship musician and former teacher. Heand#8217;s lived in Truckee for 29 years.