In light of the bombings in Boston, I feel it is only appropriate I take the time to write a blog about the men and women who have given their lives in the pursuit of defending our freedom.

I also feel the need to remember and honor those innocent victims whose lives were taken by the cowardly act of terrorism in Boston on Monday, as well as the victims of Sept. 11. While they are not the only Americans who have been killed by acts of terrorism, I feel we who have been born into an era where war and terror have become tragically well known. We can vividly remember and put our hearts into commemorating those who were killed these days.

According to icasualties.org, there have been 6,686 U.S. service men and women killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns combined. These men and women gave their lives in the defense of our freedom, they and deserve our utmost respect, honor and gratitude.

We need to ensure every day we keep them in our hearts and prayers, and we need to ensure their legacy lives on by living lives free of fear. We cannot allow acts of terror like we saw on Sept. 11 in New York, or like we saw on Monday in Boston, to control our daily lives. We cannot allow the terrorists to win by bringing us to our knees in the face of their cowardly tactics. If we do then we have just ruined everything those brave souls gave their lives to protect.

Even if you do not support the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, please remember to support our troops. Many of us here at NIU have served our great nation, and out of those of us who served many fought in the Middle East. We did this not for some sick desire to go and see combat, but to preserve the livelihood in which many Americans seem to take for granted. We must not allow political agendas or corruption to alter our opinions of those who serve for us. We must honor those we lost because they were doing something many Americans cannot or will not do.

We need to ensure that we remember the three innocent people who lost their lives on Monday.

We must also always remember the thousands of innocent people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. These people had their lives taken by cowardly acts of terrorism for reasons I cannot even begin to understand. We must never forget the tragedy of those days. We need to stand together as a nation in order to show anyone who dares test us with terror that they will not win for we are a strong, united nation, and that we will never forget.

While at this time it is not certain who is responsible for these attacks in Boston, President Barack Obama made a statement saying, “We will find whoever harmed our citizens and we will bring them to justice.”