Yesterday was the fifteenth anniversary of another day that will live in infamy; it was the fifteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon and saw a brave resistance that took down a fourth airliner that was likely headed to the White House.

In the early years of the second world war, President Franklin Roosevelt declared that the United States would be “the arsenal of democracy.”  The foundation of that arsenal was the U.S. Springfield Armory at Springfield, Massachusetts, which in those years produced 1903 Springfield and M-1 rifles, M1 carbines, and .30 and .50 caliber machine guns for the Allies to use.

The Armory has not produced weapons since 1968, and stands now as a National Historic Site with an excellent museum.  I decided that it would be appropriate to mark the 9/11 anniversary with a visit to the Armory, in part to see a historic collection of martial arms, but also to mark the anniversary with an example of how America has and must remain strong.  Photos follow.