On Monday, February 2, 2009, Jil got a call from Colin Powell asking her to "postpone" any further celebratory events "for the time being". Without any further explanation, he acknowledged, "Your events have made a marvelous difference to our nation during a time of peril and perplexity. You've helped to motivate millions of American citizens at a time when we all needed such motivation. You've restored life to areas where the stench of death and the devastation of the American spirit seemed to dominate. You have created memorials to our fallen countrymen that will forever allow us indelible memories. I personally am indebted to you for such awesome acts of goodwill. Your spirit, enthusiasm and professionalism helped pull this nation back from the depths of despair." Stunned, Jil hung up and wondered what was going on. The nation was still in turmoil; a terrible economic depression held a cloud of desperation over most citizens; sadness and uncertainty still loomed large. Jil believed the celebrations and memorials she organized helped lift people out of the doldrums. In some parts of the country, search-and-rescue operations were still going on; in others regions, people had lost hope. The AROB group, and the whole party of Jil's helpers had had a hand in revitalizing America's vigor and helping to bring people back from the brink of despair. Why stop now? Jil thought it was premature; there were still desolate souls that needed comforting. Sure, some celebrations may have gotten out of hand, but people needed to be assured taht 'fun' still had its place in the American psyche. Just because bombs had eliminated an entire upper-class and natural disasters had destroyed major coastal cities didn't mean that the country could wallow in self-pity. It was time to move on, move out and move up. "A time to laugh...a time to cry...."
Jil was in the midst of planning a very appropriate Presidents' Day event that would allow Americans to embrace the concept of patriotism and honor those men who had held the nation's top