Thoughts on 9/11

On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by a group of Islamic extremists. They took nearly 3,000 innocent lives. And yes, “Islamic extremists” is the correct description. The attacks were carried out in the name of Allah.

I was in a meeting at work when the first plane hit. When I got back to my office my secretary told me about it and I turned on the TV behind my desk. I sat in wonder watching the North Tower burn and wondering how it was possible that a commercial airliner went so out of control that it crashed into the World Trade Center. Then I watched in horror as the second plane hit the South Tower.

It was then that I knew we were under attack. Not long after came the report of a third plane crashing into the Pentagon and a fourth crashing into a field in Pennsylvania. The fourth one had been headed toward the White House but was brought down in the field when passengers revolted and attempted to take back control of the plane. We know this from narratives of phone calls made by passengers before the plane crashed.

We all watched in horror as the towers collapsed onto themselves, knowing that the chances of anyone surviving after that were slim. And we cried.

The events of that day were life-changing for many, myself included. That day most Americans sat around in shock wondering what our future might bring. Would there be more attacks? How many died? And how could this have possibly happened? Many of us had difficulty sleeping that night.

September 12^th dawned and America came together as a nation, united in sorrow, anger, and determination. As Allen Jackson said so eloquently in his song “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?” – they “stood in line and gave their own blood.” They volunteered to help first responders search for bodies, living or dead. They donated food and water to first responders. And they vowed to never forget and never allow it to happen again.

How quickly they forgot. It didn't take more than a year or so before calling Islamic extremists exactly that became politically incorrect. “All Muslims are not responsible for what happened,” they said. And they were correct. But every one of the terrorists who hijacked the planes was Muslim and the attacks were committed in the name of Islam. That's just fact.

The political correctness got worse. When President Trump banned travel to the United States from seven Islamic countries critics called it a “Muslim ban,” even though it was seven out of 50 countries that are Muslim controlled. Seven. Hardly a “Muslim ban.” But that's what we were told. And some still believe it.

Today, if you criticize Muslims it's considered hate speech. Even if what you say is true. It's just not acceptable in today's woke society. The Taliban recently showed us what Muslim extremists can and will do... but many Americans just don't want to pay attention.

We don't need another September 11^th. We do need another September 12^th. We need people to come together in love for our country and each other, particularly after the last couple of years. We need to remember how quickly lives can be taken and how quickly everything can change. September 11, 2001, taught us that very well. Except years of mostly non-events have eroded the memories of many. And that is sad.