In many ways, the carnage delivered on the United States 23 years ago today continues to impact and influence our nation’s politics and sense of well-being.
More than one-third of Americans are 29 and younger and likely have no direct memory of Sept. 11, 2001. That points out the importance of remembering the attacks by Islamic terrorists that killed nearly 3,000 people — and the importance of understanding the geopolitical conditions that led up to them. It also points out the need for understanding how 9/11 changed us as a nation and has influenced everything that has come since.
In other words, we must never forget that 19 terrorists — 15 of them from Saudi Arabia — hijacked four commercial jetliners on a sunny Tuesday morning. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of New York’s World Trade Center, causing the blazing columns to collapse hours later. Another plane crashed into The Pentagon outside Washington, D.C. A fourth plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pa., apparently after passengers tried to regain control from the terrorists.
According to official numbers, 2,996 people were killed in the attacks. That includes 343 firefighters who died when the towers collapsed; another 300 firefighters have died since then because of 9/11-related illnesses.
For those who lived through it, all of this is unforgettable. A Pew Research survey three years ago, on the 20th anniversary, found that 93 percent of Americans age 30 and older remembered exactly where they were when they heard of the attacks. A 2016 survey found that three-fourths of American adults listed 9/11 as the most important historic event of their lives.
But the most important thing about history is how we react to it. As members of the 9/11 Commission wrote in their 2004 report: “That September day, we came together as a nation. The test before us is to sustain that unity of purpose and meet the challenges now confronting us.”
Clearly, that unity of purpose has diminished in the past 20 years. So has the fear of terrorism. Throughout the lives of younger Americans, the most prominent threat to the United States has come from domestic terrorists who stormed the U.S. Capitol while trying to overthrow a presidential election.
Whether delivered by foreign nationals in a surprise attack or delivered by domestic terrorists, the result is similar — a division of our populace stoked by fear and a sense of insecurity. And regardless of how an attack on America is manifested, each scourge is a reminder that vigilance against terror is not a vice.
Out of the desire for vigilance, a couple conclusions from the 9/11 Commission still resonate. One is that the slow pace of Senate confirmations for key cabinet and subcabinet officials contributed to our nation’s lack of preparedness in 2001. With a new president set to take office in January 2025, senators from both parties must recognize that a fully functioning government is essential to the nation’s security.
At the same time, faith in our pillars of security — such as the FBI and Transportation Security Administration — is essential to keeping our nation safe. Yet such agencies often face unfounded criticism and threats of reduced funding from conservatives in Congress who undermine faith in our institutions.
And finally, border security also is a prominent factor in protecting our nation.
In the end, Americans must always remember 9/11. And they must work together to ensure that we never endure a similar attack.
