If there is one event in recent history that Americans will identify as a significant turning point in their collective lives, it will undoubtedly be an event identified by a certain duo of numbers – 9/11. If anything, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, which led to the deaths of many innocent people, will rival that other turning point in our country — the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy.

This is the incident that triggered a series of events that took our country’s Armed Forces – Navy SEALs, Marines, the Army — to where it is now: engaged in a war against Global Terrorism.

Any incident, no matter how tragic, has a potential to bring out the best in some people. That day which many will consider as a gruesome display of terrorist brutality also became a chance for people to show their concern for others, becoming heroes in the process.

It is no longer surprising, therefore, for something good to come out of the heap of rubble that became of the World Trade Center as it came tumbling to the ground. The twin towers, after all, have been a symbol of the American dream for years, perhaps just a bit below the Statue of Liberty. It is but fitting that the steel that once stood tall and proud will be given a second lease on life, so to speak.

Last weekend, as the Navy SEAL Museum celebrated Muster Weekend, the Navy marked another milestone — the commissioning of USS New York at Piers 86 and 88 in, where else, but New York City.

The newest warship carries in her bow system 7.5 tons of steel taken from amidst the rubble of the World Trade Center. From New York, the ship and her crew of 360 sailors will set sail for its home port, the Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia on Thursday.