Patriot Day: Remembering 9/11

Twenty-one years later, the tragic events of September 11, 2001, are still seared in our nation’s collective memory.  9/11 shook America to its core.  Every year on this date, it is impossible not to remember the events of that horrific day, where we were, what we were doing when we heard the news, and more.  It is also interesting to note that many young adults—including many who now serve in the U.S. military with a willingness to die for their country—were not even born yet on that fateful September day.

Who could forget the pain, the suffering, and the horror of what became the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil? It was a watershed moment in American history.  Our lives, our political establishment, our nation’s history, even national security procedures can all be observed as to how they were before 9/11—and how they have been ever since. It changed the focus of the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and influenced the remaining seven plus years of his presidency.  In a nationwide address that evening, he said, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.  These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”

That day we learned a lot about America – we learned that America is resilient. We saw firsthand the evil that exists in our world.  But we also learned that America’s young men and women are willing to die for the country they believe in, as in the ensuing Global War on Terror over 6,000 did. And the Gold Star families who lost those they love and the over 60,000 military personnel who have been wounded in battle know that the fight against evil never really ends.  Countless service members bear the scars of 9/11 and the wars that followed not only in their bodies, but in their hearts and minds.  Part of the price tag for freedom is eternal vigilance.  Freedom is never free.

On this day of remembrance, it is important to remember and honor the thousands of Americans who perished at the hands of evil on September 11th. It's important to remember and honor those who gave their lives for others – the passengers who battled the terrorists and brought down the plane in a Pennsylvania field before it could reach Washington, the brave men and women who gave their lives at the Pentagon, and those who perished at Ground Zero in New York City, including the firefighters and police officers who went in to save them and ended up losing their lives too.

On this Patriot Day—officially designated in October 2001 and celebrated for the first time on September 11, 2002—we pray for those who lost family and loved ones that fateful day. We pray for the people of our nation. We pray for wisdom for our nation’s leaders. We pray for our men and women in uniform who are currently serving our country by defending our freedoms around the world. In a dangerous world and a sometimes-divided nation, we pray for unity.

This is an election year.  Battles for political office are being waged.  There are the commensurate attack ads, name-calling, and contentious debates. A bit of that is expected. Unfortunately, over the last several years we have at times lost our decorum and our sense of kindness and decency—even when it is not an election year.  And yet on that first 9/11, bitterness, rancor, and mean-spirited politics were sidelined and temporarily silenced.  We were grateful for our nation and, in vivid and touching ways, grateful for one another.

We must again lay aside political and personal differences, as we so ably did on that first 9/11, and stand together in unity and love—as Americans. We are grateful for the healing and hope that’s occurred in the years since 9/11.  We give thanks for the liberty and security that is a result of simply living in a place like the United States.  And we still sing together: