Coming out of the lock downs of 2020 many had looked to 2021 to bring better times for our country. As 2020 ended with a newly elected President and the promising look of a Covid vaccine to curb rising numbers, it appeared that 2021 would be the year we all needed. But as the year kicked off, it became another year that no one expected.
January 6th
This day will go down as another in history. While President Trump held a rally in DC contesting the legitimateness of the November 2020 elections on the same day that Congress was to verify the electoral college votes, many took to breaching the doors of the Capitol building. With the reading of the electoral college votes taking place inside and a march outside things quickly took a turn for the worst. While some championed those who protested, many would condemn their actions as several lives were lost that day. In the days following there would be questions about the security measures of the Capitol Police, extremism, and just how divided our country really was.
January 20 – President Biden inauguration
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States while Kamala Harris would become the first ever female Vice President of the United States. The inauguration would have the 3rd largest tv audience for a Presidential inauguration behind the first inaugurations of President Obama and President Reagan. A big part of President Biden’s campaign was to “Build Back Better” and help America become unified and stronger.
Texas Snow Storm
February brought us the historical Texas Snow Storm which shut down and crippled the lone star state. In some locations there were reports of 3-4 feet of snow that fell and power outages that lasted days after the snow finally melted. It was an eye-opening experience that showed the strength of the Texas power grid which quickly became a point of contention in the upcoming Governor election. We can’t forget to mention that America’s favorite weatherman was also on location as Jim Cantore and other Weather Channel reporters were scattered throughout the state providing updates.
Vaccine
This year brought promise of curbing the Covid outbreaks with the Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccine. While many Americans rushed to get their vaccine and eventually the booster, many were still questioning the true effectiveness of it. In children under 16, the use of the vaccine is still a hot debate that many are leaving to the parent’s choice. In the military community the vaccine mandate became a widely debated topic on if was an ethical order or not. While many service members received the vaccine (reports are 92-97% of the force), there are still thousands that are unvaccinated. The Service branches made moves in September to begin separating those service members with dishonorable or other than honorable discharges. However the recent signing of the NDAA changed that tune stating that separations for vaccine refusal must be under honorable or general discharges to allow service members to keep their VA benefits.
Suez Canal and Delays
In July, the world learned just how narrow the Suez Canal really is as the Evergreen was blown sideways causing it be stuck which caused a backlog of ships on either side trying to reach their destination. The ship was finally set free, but not before giving the world a beautiful set of memes to enjoy. Furthermore, this wasn’t the only delay the world saw. As we came out of Covid lock downs and bit of online ordering we saw many other delays with the logistical supply chain. Many west coast ports such as Long Beach and LA became severely backlogged, and that doesn’t include the truck driver shortage as well. Military families felt the delay as they waited longer times for their household goods to reach their OCONUS locations, and longer times from a labor shortage to get their household goods packed up.
Afghanistan
The events of 9/11 set into motion the war in Afghanistan that would last nearly 20 years. In the latter years, American’s necessary presence was often debated in the endless war. As President Trump worked to begin a drawdown of forces in the country, it would be under President Biden that the heavily criticized withdraw would happen. State department records show in the early summer of 2021 that there was a concern and evacuation efforts should be sped up to ensure those who want to get out can. As that was slow moving, the Taliban quickly moved into Kabul and toppled the government. The airport was swarmed by locals and civilian Americans trying to get on a plane to get out. Civilian and veteran agencies would run underground operations to get people approved for evacuation, the most famous being the Pineapple Express. On August 30, 2021, General Chris Donahue would be the last US Soldier to leave the country.
Goodbyes
This year was not without our fair share of goodbyes to icons we have watched over the years. As an 80’s baby and growing up to after-school shows like Saved By the Bell, it was a hard lost when Dustin Diamond lost his battle to stage IV small cell carcinoma. Another noticeable loss from the small screen was that of Alec Trebeck, the beloved host of Jeopardy. Those who spent their mornings watching the Today Show were left with a hole after weatherman Willard Scott passed away. Another TV staple that left us this year was Larry King who lost his battle to underlying conditions after being in the hospital with Covid.
Outside of the silver screen, we lost American Icons such as Colin Powell who served as Secretary of State, and Prince Phillip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth of England. In the music world many were sad at the passing of ZZ Top bassist and cofounder Dusty Hill. Earl Simmons who is better known as DMX who influenced the 90’s passed away of a heart attack in April. While the Atlanta Braves won the World Series this year, the players believed they had their own angel in the outfield of Hank Aaron who passed in January. And just before the ball dropped on New Years Eve, we lost legendary icon, Betty White, at the age of 99, just 18 days short of her 100th birthday.
This year was definitely not the year that many expected or even wanted, but perhaps it was the year we needed to help reset priorities in our lives. As we look a head to 2022, we all hope it becomes the year that we all need to move forward and to finally put our differences aside to become a united country again.