I believe that people, for the most part, are good. When a tragedy happens, we want to help.

That’s really the whole basis for the GoFundMe website. You can read about someone who’s in some kind of desperate situation, whether it’s from an accident, or a critical illness, or something else – and you can literally help them.

And when something really devastating happens, and it affects a whole city, we see an immediate result – the psychology of community. 

This is what happened in New York City right after 9/11. On any other day, people are out and doing what they need to do, going from one place to another, mostly preoccupied with what they have to do that day. 

But in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack, that completely changed. Suddenly, New York City wasn’t millions of individuals. It was a group; a community. Everyone’s to-do list went out the window, and the immediate priority was to help those who needed it.

And it wasn’t just the people in that city – all around the country, people donated money, there were long lines to donate blood for the injured, and some who were qualified literally went to dig through the rubble and find survivors. 

And one of the interesting effects of that tragedy was a surge in young people enlisting in the military. Our country had been attacked, and many people felt that signing up for the military was a way to perhaps prevent future attacks.

My guest today is Michael, but he goes by the nickname CQ. He lived in New York City when 9/11 happened, and he was one of those young men who decided to join the military and help defend our country.

But then something happened that brought his military career to an unexpected early end.

CQ’s weekly live show – Pop Culture Warrior http://wtfnationradio.com/shows/popculturewarrior/

This episode is sponsored by the LOL with Kim Gravel podcast – find it on any podcast player, or at LOLKim.com.

Also mentioned in this episode is the School of Podcasting – that’s where you go to launch, grow, and even monetize your podcast. Go to SchoolofPodcasting.com/what and use the coupon code WHAT to get 20% off either a monthly or yearly membership.

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