I was born in 1974 so none of my knowledge of JFK's assassination are first hand. But if there's one thing I've learned from thousands of pages of research and hours upon hours of documentaries is that this beloved country of ours was never the same after JFK was murdered. Far more of the citizenry knew that something wasn't right than many of us today realize. That dark stain in our history has continued to fester underneath the surface.

A day before 9/11 2001, I had returned from a trip to Las Vegas with several friends and co-workers. We had a wonderful week and during that time, I made the decision that I was going to marry one of the girls that were in our group on that trip. (We did get married 3 years later, and we are still married today).

A day after returning home, I heard sketchy reports on the radio during my drive into work about a small commuter plane hitting one of the towers. An hour later, my co-workers and I were gathered around a small TV in the breakroom, watching in horror. Within a year, we were invading the Middle East and the Patriot Act was in place.

This was my final wakeup call that we were living in a corrupt, concocted world that had only a passing resemblance to the real world. And just as with JFK's murder, another festering, cancerous tumor appeared just under the skin of this Republic.

For those of you who are younger, it's difficult to articulate the difference between pre and post 9/11 America. My son was born in 1999 and he has never known a pre-9/11 America. It is incumbent upon us who lived on either side to educate this new generation.

It pains me that 21 years later, it feels as though we are no closer to exposing the bad actors in our country and government that facilitated that horrific day and the events that followed. But I'll be damned if I'm going to give up on that crusade.

Prior knowledge of this event was wider within intel agencies and the military than most people know. I unfortunately cannot elaborate on that statement. But many people knew by August that something was coming and I pray that a day will arrive that one of them will speak out.