9/11

Eight years ago this nation experienced a tragic event of seismic proportions. It shook the nation to its very core and caused sorrow among millions of Americans across the nation. On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked this nation, the first true attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. It was a time when the nation drew together in order to confront a common enemy, a time when our nation was forced to remember that there exists threats throughout the world that desire to destroy America and all that it stands for. It was a day that plunged us into a war.
It often seems that people are quick to forget the past, and too quick to ignore the ramifications of the present. Eight years ago the nation drew together and almost unanimously voiced their support for what has become known as the "War on Terror". Yet not soon after, people called for bringing the troops home and abandoning the mission that they had set out on. A mission that had been prompted by the deaths of hundreds of Americans as they plunged to their deaths in a burning tower. Deaths that had awakened America to a realization of the evils and dangers of this world, and drawn attention to the suffering of millions of people throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet it seems we have forgotten. We have forgotten the sacrifice of those firefighters, those soldiers, and the leaders of our nation, as they sought to secure and protect their citizens, as well as better the lives of millions who chafed under the regimes of horrid dictators. We have forgotten the fear and indignation that gripped us after we experienced a terrorist attack on our soil. We have forgotten that there still exists nations where these attacks happen almost daily, where innocent people die at the hands of evil men. Let us not forget. We must remember that evils exist in this world, and that many times each of us have the power to stop those evils, whether they be crazed terrorist attacks or the bullyings that exist all around us. Should we sit passively by and allow those evils to exist and exert their power over those around us? I think not. So let us remember the sacrifices of those who give their lives to stop those evils, and remember our pride and history as a nation. Let us not forget 9/11.