September 11, 2001: 15 Years Later – Never Forget
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Sep 11, 2016
About 4 or 5 years ago on the anniversary of this date, September 11th, and the planes flying into both the Twin Towers in NYC and the Pentagon, and of course the plane that went down in Pennsylvania, some guy on Facebook (who I didn't know well and have never spoken to again) commented on a post I put up and asked "Why do people keep bringing this up? Can't we move away from it?" Instead, I moved away from him because I was irked at him for even daring to say something like that, especially on a post by me, and I wasn't ready to lay into him, which I'd have done and that wouldn't have been pretty.
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Today it's the 15th anniversary of that day, a day that literally changed how this country perceives itself and those around the world. If we didn't know how ugly things were as far as the rest of the world's perspective on the United States before then, and if we didn't know how vitriolic a large percentage of our population felt against those who believe in the religion of Islam before then, we certainly learned it after that day. We also learned how special so many people can be in light of a tragedy and how resilient we are; we don't need to "make America great again"; America is already great, even with its few foibles and the like.
Today I'm actually ready to answer that guy's question; it's taken me 15 years to want to answer that question. I answer it now because of what's going on in this country and around the world. I think it's important enough to finally get to the "why" of the matter and what's at stake for all of us.
The "why" is because we should never forget; that's pretty much it. There are many reasons behind that one:
* we need to be reminded to always stay vigilant against threats;
* we need to be reminded that most people have no idea what a terrorist looks like;
* we need to be reminded that everyone isn't going to agree with us and some people are ready to take things to the extreme;
* we need to keep making sure the truth stays the truth, unlike Texas and Bill O'Reilly trying to make slavery "friendly" or Japan trying to change the truth about their role in World War II;
* because too often history repeats itself, and maybe someone will remember a lesson and stop before something newly bad goes too far;
* because times change but people don't, which means circumstances don't either;
* because we should always honor those who ended up giving their lives, whether they signed up for it or not, for a cause that benefited the rest of us;
* because it's the right thing to do
I think that covers it; at least it does for me today. Meanwhile, I'm linking to previous articles and one video that show my thoughts about the date from previous years. At this point I'm no longer mad, which took long enough; I just want to make sure that the significance stays alive while I still have the opportunity to talk about it.
For anyone suffering through memories of this day, I wish you peace by sharing both of these videos:
Are We Ready For The 9/11 Anniversary?
September 11, 2001; I'm Still Mad
Sunday Question: Your Thoughts About 9/11/10?
September 11, 2007; Six Years Later
9/11/01 9 Years Later; Never Forget
September 11, 2001; 11 Years Later
September 11th; The Day Trading Stopped Before It Started
Ten Years Later; Have We Moved On?
September 11, 2011; Ten Years Later
September 11, 2001; 11 Years Later
September 11th, 2001; Other Stories, Other Articles
September 11th, 2001; 13 Years Later
Never forget.
Everything changed after 9/11.
My heart goes out to all the people affected by this tragic event.
God Bless America!
I’m with you Steve; everything changed, but America showed great resolve and what it could be if we’d just pull together and work as one.
Well said, Mr. Mitchell. Thank you for your reflection; and hopefully in remembering we will avoid repeating.
Thanks Mr. Ringold. This is definitely one lesson I hope we never have repeated here, or anywhere.
Well said, Mitch.
It’s a good answer. It’s the same with Holocaust Memorials; and yet, there will always be ostriches and people to pander to them by claiming, scores of years later, that these things never really happened at all.
How can a generation that didn’t experience it “forget” it? How can they truly understand, and empathize, and be ever vigilant to the signs of history on the brink of repeating itself?
Read, they must, as Master Yoda would say. Reading helps to develop empathy; they must read. They must linger at the memorials and resolve never to need build another one.
But will they? I wish I believed that they would. I’m not even sure that they could.
Thanks Holly. History shows us that the stories can and will evolve over time, but this one is still so fresh that it’s a story that shouldn’t be forgotten. Even if I finally decide not to write about it next year doesn’t mean I’ll forget it or what the significance of the day means. We have to keep that one alive, especially in today’s radicalized climate.
Hello Mitch
Great post! That was a very sad day for me and I remember it like yesterday. I will never forget that day and the significance it means. Everything changed about security after that day in America. Have a super weekend Mitch
Thanks Darrell. Yeah, that was a tough one to get beyond, which is why I never want people to forget the day or how we persevered afterwards.