9/11 still on the minds of many Americans
Sept. 11, 2001, will forever be etched on the hearts of many Americans who watched as nearly 3,000 of their fellow Americans died in terrorist attacks.
The terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, and the actions of those aboard United Airlines Flight 93 prevented another attack as they perished in a plane crash in Pennsylvania. Much has been written, and documentaries have been made.
The run-up to 9/11 included early warning signs, including the Feb. 26, 1993, truck bombing at the World Trade Center, which killed six people and injured thousands.
Former U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-KS, best known for his work on farm bills, had also been trying to raise greater awareness about Islamic extremism. While he was rightfully concerned about the impact terrorism could have on agriculture and food security, he and other members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in the mid-1990s also spoke out about the need for intelligence reforms to address threats in the post-Cold War era. Those threats included Middle East terrorism.
Unfortunately, the report took a back seat to many other priorities by Congress and the White House. Sept. 11, 2001, brought a dramatic change.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum provides more information at https://www.911memorial.org/marking-25th-anniversary.
The website notes, “A quarter century after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, 100 million Americans are too young to remember the day that changed our city and nation forever. It is our shared promise — made 25 years ago — to never forget so those born after 9/11 learn its significance and enduring legacy. As we commemorate this anniversary, a new generation will learn about the unimaginable loss we experienced and the inspiring stories of bravery, compassion, unity, and service that we witnessed, and have rippled through the decades.”
I always remember 9/11. It started as a busy morning at the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle, going through paperwork when prepress operator Pete Terres came to my office and said, “Dave, you might want to turn on the television. A plane just hit one of the towers at the World Trade Center.”
I got up and turned on the small office television and watched the news coverage, and then a second plane hit the second tower. All I could do was watch the carnage on live TV as the towers crumbled.
Our nation was forever changed, and I can remember, when all airplanes were grounded for two days as a precaution, how empty the skies were because, living in the High Plains, one can easily look to the skies and see contrails. Friends who were attending conventions or on vacation had to rearrange their schedules.
It was a time when our country rallied, just as we did after the Pearl Harbor bombing on Dec. 7, 1941, or the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. It seems when devastating events occur, they are forever etched on our brains and in our hearts.
As my colleague Ken Eriksen, a High Plains Journal contributor, recently said, with the 25th anniversary of 9/11, it also means we are closer to 2050 than we are to Sept. 11, 2001.
Only the good Lord knows for certain what the future will hold. But the United States has always found a way to respond and rebuild. Blessed with many resources, our strength lies in diversity, innovation and ingenuity. Our resolve to do better and be better is a cornerstone that must never leave us.
As I think about 9/11, I know there will be more gut punches, but as we celebrate America 250, it is important to remember all our fallen heroes, in good times and bad. They are not forgotten and are always part of the future script of this nation.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
