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Today marks 25 years since our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001.
On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists funded by and associated with al-Qaeda hijacked four planes. Two struck the World Trade Center in New York City. One hit the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. The fourth crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, thanks to the extraordinarily brave passengers who overtook the terrorists and sacrificed their lives to prevent more people from losing theirs.
The heinous attacks killed 2,977 people, and thousands more were injured. It remains the deadliest attack on American soil by a foreign entity.
For many of us, we remember exactly where we were when we heard the news. We watched the footage in real time and grieved as a nation in the days, months, and years that followed.
Our young people do not have these memories. Our world changed forever that day, but they only know the aftereffects. What does 9/11 mean to them?
While this is a question I cannot definitively answer, here is what I hope our young people understand about that day:
The terrorist attacks on September 11 were not just assaults on buildings or our country in name. They were attacks on the great experiment that our republic represents—attacks against our pursuit of self-governance and freedom.
But it was the response to this chaos that is most significant.
That day, hundreds became heroes, acting courageously to save people they had never met—some paying the ultimate price. Ordinary people went from sitting in their cubicles to helping their coworkers escape. First responders ran toward burning buildings and sifted through rubble tirelessly, searching for survivors and closure for families. Communities came together to support each other in their darkest hours.
Across the country, Americans stood united. United to honor the victims. United to ensure an attack like this never happened again. United to protect the democratic values and liberties our nation was built on.
A quarter of a century later, much of that unity across political divides has dissipated, but what undoubtedly remains is our collective promise to never forget.
As firsthand memories become history, it is paramount that we charge our young people not only to remember what happened on 9/11, but also to remind them that this is their nation to protect, improve, and preserve for future generations.
Today we remember the grandparents, mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons who lost their lives on that day, and we honor the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and other first responders who put others before themselves—the most selfless of acts. To them we owe our infinite gratitude.
We will never forget.
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