A decade after the attacks, we still hurt

It is difficult to believe that 10 years have come and gone since Al Qaeda terrorists slammed two hijacked jetliners into the World Trade Center, a third into a field in Pennsylvania and a fourth into the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 innocent people.

We have endured so much since that terrifying time.

The long, slow recovery from the attacks was punctuated by thousands of funerals and memorial services. We have lived with the constant threat of yet another attack. Two wars have exacted a terrible toll on the nation.

More than 6,200 American troops have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more than 100,000 of our men and women have been injured in combat. The two wars could ultimately cost the U.S. $4 trillion.

We are not the same country we were a decade ago. We are immeasurably less naïve. We understand better that evil lurks in the world and bad things can happen to us.

Of course, we must never forget Sept. 11, 2001. The families who lost loved ones certainly cannot. They still grieve. As a nation, we still mourn their loss with them.
At the same time, we must continue to move forward, which isn’t always easy. Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, is dead, but new terrorists have emerged to take his place. We still have tens of thousands of combat troops in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the country remains mired in the economic doldrums. In August, the U.S. created no new jobs and the unemployment rate remained stuck at 9.1 percent.

Still, we must remain hopeful. America’s resolve has always carried us through to tomorrow, from the American Revolution to the first and second world wars to today. We are not quitters. We may be down, but we are far from out.
Witness the remarkable progress made at ground zero. Construction of the 1,776-foot-tall One World Trade Center, a magnificent glass-and-steel structure, is now half finished. The $3 billion project is expected to wind down in 2013.
The white oak-lined Memorial Plaza is expected to be unveiled this week, and the National September 11 Museum next year.

We encourage you to visit this hallowed ground, and when your children are old enough, take them with you. Share with them your memories of that awful day 10 years ago. Help them to understand that, yes, there are those who would seek to destroy what is good in the world –– freedom, democracy. But remind them, as well, that there are good men and women in our military who are fighting day in, day out to preserve the ideals that we, as a nation, hold dear.

There were also good men and women –– our police officers and firefighters –– working to aid the victims of Sept. 11. Hundreds of firefighters raced into the twin towers to help get people out. Some 343 of them never returned, making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
In the days and weeks that followed the attacks, people were kind to one another. We comforted one another. We donated food, blankets and money to the Red Cross. Our narcissistic tendencies were suddenly gone. Here’s hoping the 10-year remembrance will help us rekindle that spirit of community, because we need it just as much a decade later.
Our schools can do much to keep the history of Sept. 11 alive. The World Trade Center Tribute Center is advocating for inclusion of a 9/11 curriculum in the schools, noting that history textbooks –– particularly American history textbooks –– should be updated to include the attacks. We agree.

We wish we could rewind history to Sept. 10 and somehow alter the course of events to bring back all of the men and women killed the following day, but we cannot. We remember Sept. 11 not only to honor them, but so we never forget that we must always work toward world peace.