The USA had been attacked before when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, but I wasn’t even born then and Hawaii seems so far away from the mainland……it wasn’t the same.

Since that horrible day in September 2001 many people have buried their memories of the horror that they felt and witnessed. Many seem to have forgotten exactly what those attacks meant. Because of an ill advised war in a place that most of us never thought about and the fact that the so-called mastermind of those horrendous attacks has never been caught, we have moved on and moved away from what those attacks really stood for and how they changed our lives.

Fortunately for all of us we became more vigilant after 9/11 and there were many extreme measures taken to make our country more secure. Some disagree with what transpired after the attacks. Some believe that our privacy has been invaded and our freedom threatened. I for one, am willing to sacrifice a little of my freedom in order to protect my family and the future of America.

For those who have forgotten it might do you some good to watch the footage of those planes crashing into buildings and the pain on the faces of hundreds of people searching among the rubble for loved ones. It might be a good idea to watch the many, many funerals of the fallen which included firefighters, policemen, rescue workers as well as innocent citizens who were going about their normal business before they were shattered into clouds of toxic dust.

I especially remember the sights and sounds after the Trade Center collapsed when people like you and I were carrying quickly made photo copies of pictures of their missing loved ones. The many instant bulletin boards that were erected near the rubble that was once the site of two amazing buildings that made up the skyline of New York City.  “Have you seen this person?” was a familiar cry as people wandered aimlessly around praying for a miracle but losing hope by the minute of ever seeing their loved one again.

For those who have forgotten what it all meant to us and our country I suggest that you take a minute to remember that there are people who hate us and what we stand for. Those people still exist and would like nothing better than to destroy us. We stood together as one nation on that day…no partisanship, no political wrangling…just unity and support for one another. We were patriotic on that day.

Does it take an attack by terrorists to allow us to communicate without rancor and bias? I hope not. I hope that we can move forward and solve the problems that face our nation in a bi-partisan way if for no other reason than to honor the memory of all those who died on that day in September. Not with a ceremony where the right words of sympathy are spoken, but with the real desire to make our country better and to improve the lives of all of our citizens.

I remember 9/11/01 and I will for as long as I live.