(CNN)  -- When Charles Wolf watched President Obama's speech on Afghanistan, he nearly broke down in tears. He doesn't have a son or daughter headed off to war. But to him, his wife of 12 years was a war casualty: She was killed on September 11.



When Obama described the attacks "and he described how the whole world was with us, it emotionally took me right back to that moment," Wolf said. "It was all I could do to keep from totally losing it."



Wolf's wife, Katherine, worked as an executive assistant for Marsh & McLennan on the 97th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. She sent an e-mail just two minutes before the first plane hit.



"Her office took a direct hit by the plane, and she was vaporized. There was nothing ever found of her," Wolf said.



It's been eight years since the attacks of September 11 killed 2,976 people. A lot of memories have faded, Wolf said, but he still thinks of the little things: "holding her hand, falling asleep next to her, waking up next to her, the companionship, the partnership."



"She was great."



And so Wolf was glued to his television Tuesday for Obama's speech. He wanted to hear from the president how the nation is going to finish the job in what Wolf calls "the womb of 9/11."



"To address these issues," Obama said, "it is important to recall why America and our allies were compelled to fight a war in Afghanistan in the first place. We did not ask for this fight. On September 11, 2001, 19 men hijacked four airplanes and used them to murder nearly 3,000 people.



"They struck at our military and economic nerve centers. They took the lives of innocent men, women and children without regard to their faith or race or station. Were it not for the heroic actions of the passengers on board one of those flights, they could have also struck at one of the great symbols of our democracy in Washington and killed many more."



Those words brought it all home: the memories of his wife with the beautiful smile and short-cropped red hair. "I was biting my lip," he said.



That said, Wolf is critical of the president's strategy, mostly his announcement to begin withdrawing the American contingent in July 2011.



"That is a tactical and strategic mistake," he said. "If you're playing chess, do you tell your opponent your next move?



"To broadcast that for the sake of politics, to me, that is very wrong."



And so he was divided: pleased about the renewed commitment to the Afghanistan war but upset by the planned pullout date.



iReport: Share your views on Afghanistan



Veteran New York firefighter Lee Ielpi lost his son, Jonathan, a fellow firefighter, on September 11.



"I support President Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan and the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban," he said.



A combat veteran of Vietnam, Ielpi added, "The president and Congress need to ensure America has a clear strategy for our military in order to not repeat the strategic mistakes of Vietnam. I also strongly believe our country needs to do more to support returning veterans."



The office of Joe Daniels overlooks ground zero, an every-day reminder of what happened on September 11, 2001. He was standing outside the Twin Towers when they were hit. Daniels is now the president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, charged with the monumental task of building a living tribute to those who perished that day.



"In the aftermath of 9/11, there were a lot of citizens who signed up to do what they felt was a patriotic duty to respond to what happened, and many of them went to Afghanistan," Daniels said. "So I think it's important that we don't forget that the history of 9/11 is still being
Who lost firefighter on 9/11? What is Charles Wolf upset about? Who said "nation can't fall back into isolation"? What was said by the firefighter who lost his son? What is Charles Wolf pleased by? What is it the nation must not repeat? What is Charles Wolf please about?
Lee Ielpi the president's strategy, Joe Daniels "I support President Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan and the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban," about the renewed commitment to the Afghanistan war the strategic mistakes of Vietnam. the renewed commitment to the Afghanistan war
question: Who lost firefighter on 9/11?, answer: Lee Ielpi | question: What is Charles Wolf upset about?, answer: the president's strategy, | question: Who said "nation can't fall back into isolation"?, answer: Joe Daniels | question: What was said by the firefighter who lost his son?, answer: "I support President Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan and the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban," | question: What is Charles Wolf pleased by?, answer: about the renewed commitment to the Afghanistan war | question: What is it the nation must not repeat?, answer: the strategic mistakes of Vietnam. | question: What is Charles Wolf please about?, answer: the renewed commitment to the Afghanistan war