9/11 Ten Years Later: Are We Winning The War On Terror?

It all seemed so unreal at the time: A plane crashing into the World Trade Center; people screaming, rushing to get away from the crumbling tower; reports of a hijacked plane heading toward Washington, D.C.

The memories of the terrifying scenes from Sept. 9, 2001 live on 10 years later. But so do the images of the extraordinary heroes who sacrificed everything to save others, and the ordinay people who unselfishly and heroically donated blood, clothes, food and shelter to help the survivors of the attacks.

"I know a lot of our people went to the Red Cross to help," said Stewart Baker of American Legion Post 313 in Larkspur. Baker, whose father served in World War I, is himself a veteran of World War II.

"A lot of the guys and gals here went to New York. They're in the Red Cross," Baker said.

Those same volunteers continue to serve in the Red Cross, according to Baker, who said some are planning special days of community support to commemorate 9/11.

Check out ActionAmerica.com if you'd like to tell the country how you're taking positive action in your community.

Share visions and memories of 9/11 at the photo gallery Touched By Terror: Patch Remember 9/11 in 911 Snapshots.

U.S. Navy Commander Kurt Birkhann, a member of Post 313, returned home recently from a tour of Afghanistan with other American Legion members. Birkhann worked to strengthen relations with villagers in Afghanistan with schools and business education as part of an overall plan to fight terrorism.

His speech to the American Legion provoked a lot of questions that showed there are still doubts about whether or not the U.S. is winning the war on terror and whether or not we are safer from attacks than we were 10 years ago.

Some in the audience compared the strategy in Afghanistan to the Vietnam War and its "failed policies."

Birkhann remained positive that the Western lifestyle is taking root in Afghanistan, saying the students he worked with "are not only taking what they learned from us as Americans, but they're taking it back to their villages and their village elders and they're passing the word on: This is a good way to live."

How do you feel about the war of terror and our nation's policies in Afghanistan?