The Greatest Generation could tell you exactly where they were when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese in 1941. Baby Boomers can do the same for the Kennedy assassination. There are just things that happen in our lives that affect our day-to-day routines and the world in general. And you remember these things for the rest of your life.
The September 11 World Trade Center bombings were one of those things. People couldn’t believe that this terrible act happened on American soil. People couldn’t believe the horror that took place that day. As we sat glued to our television sets later in the evening, it just didn’t seem possible. The Towers, the Pentagon, the crash of United Airlines flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It just didn’t seem possible.
But it is not the event that is important now, the important thing now is that we remember. We need to remember that innocent people died that day. They were not soldiers or men of war. Men, women and children got up that day, just as they did every other day and lived their lives. They went to work; they went to school. They looked forward to returning home to their families at the end of the day, but they didn’t.
At the World Trade Center memorial that was constructed at ground zero, children’s artwork was proudly displayed. But it wasn’t happy artwork, one child drew a picture of a burning building and placed an “X” on a window high above the ground. The words, “My daddy died here,” were chilling. Unfortunately, there were many pictures like this.
A generation has come and gone since that day. I hope they understand the impact of the day that changed the world. I hope they remember, because lest we forget, it could happen again.
On Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 8:46 a.m., remember that on September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower and at 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower. At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon. And finally, at 9:57 a.m., United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the passengers tried to retake the plane from the hijackers. Don’t stop your day, don’t change your routine. Just remember.
