Don’t ever forget

Friday is the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our nation.

I remember that morning. I was getting ready to go to work, and I had the television on to watch the morning news. When news outlets first started showing footage of that first airplane diving into a tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, I at first thought it was a horrible accident. Then the second plane was shown diving into the second tower, and it became apparent this was no accident. It was deliberate.

That day was Sept. 11, 2001. Many of us remember that infamous day 25 years ago. We were glued to the TV watching it all play out — in New York, Virginia and at the Pentagon. Our world was changed forever on that day. We discovered our United States was just as vulnerable to an attack from outside our country as we used to see happen in other countries around the globe. We were not immune from that type of terror, and we were unprepared for the bold audacity of the perpetrators. We paid for our ignorance with the lives of 2,977 innocent people and many more injured. Our innocence was lost.

We as a nation learned some hard lessons from 9/11. We learned the importance of preparedness, lessons from of prepared and the Office of Homeland Security was implemented. Foreign policy has made a major shift. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) gained more focus and studies and treatment has changed, according to a Harvard study. Crisis planning and management were overhauled throughout the country.

The big question remains: Do we feel safer? I suspect many of us do not. Or maybe we are more aware and therefore what we see going on around us makes us more nervous. Even with the advanced work in our cybersecurity measures and surveillance, we remain a nation looking over our shoulder.

And yet, there are shining examples of how resilient people can be and are in the face of tragedy. The heroism of first responders and regular citizens was on clear display that day 25 years ago. We see that heroism during many moments of crisis day in and day out. Courage and compassion can and do emerge in the wake of disasters — and beyond. We see people working together every day for the betterment of communities.

Now, a new false narrative about 9/11 is taking hold in some areas of the United States. It’s a pattern we can witness among a broad spectrum of people, from broadcasters, institutions, educators, media organizations, and public figures. Hasan Piker, an online influencer and political commentator, has said outright that the U.S. deserved 9/11. We think most people agree this type of narrative is not only false, it is dangerous and it is hurtful. It totally negates the lives that were lost that day, as well as the courageous acts that followed in the wake of those acts of terrorism. It negates our humanity and our empathy.

And do we really want to be that kind of society? Do we want to disregard lives lost in order to appeal to some governmental ideology?

According to navyseal.com, key takeaways from 9/11 and all the ensuing fallout are these: “From 9/11, we learn that vulnerability is universal, resilience is essential, and unity and preparedness can mitigate the impact of tragedy. The lessons span practical security measures, psychological awareness, moral reflection, and the enduring importance of community and human connection in the face of adversity.”

Let us not ever forget 9/11. To forget is to lose our way, and in losing our way, we would surely lose our humanity.

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