By Michael Martucci
Publisher
MidHudsonNews.com
It was 22 years ago on September 11, 2001, when America instantly became a united nation just as it did immediately after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. As a child I remember my grandfather, who served in World War II, telling stories about Pearl Harbor and how that attack on our country motivated his generation to spring into service to our nation. The terrorist attacks of September 11th inspired many in my generation to answer the same call to serve our nation 60 years later.
One way we can honor those who lost their lives on this day 22 years ago is to harness the powerful bonds of sadness and patriotism that united all of us in the days, weeks, and months following the attacks. We must take a lesson from history and honor those who were lost by moving beyond internal divides with a renewed focus on reuniting our great country. It is long past time we put an end to the bickering and hatred of recent years.
There has rarely been so much vitriol in America. From the violence and destruction carried out at the capitol building on January 6th to the violent riots in the Summer of 2020 to a rise in hate attacks on specific ethnic and racial groups, so much of our nation’s recent history is inconsistent with its founding principles.
In July of 2021, we watched in grief as the nation’s military mission in Afghanistan, which began nearly two decades earlier, came to a messy conclusion. Americans, who were once largely united in support of these wars, are now deeply divided over their mission and the nation’s exit.
Most of us are old enough to remember the moment we first heard the news about September 11th, however, a growing number of us have no personal memory of that day. An entire generation of people know the day only from the history books. What do we want to teach these Americans about September 11th?
Just like my grandfather taught me about Pearl Harbor Day, we have the unique opportunity to teach a whole generation of Americans about Patriot Day. We have a unique opportunity to embrace unity, support equality, smooth divisions, and be one proud United States of America.
We should do all of this not only for the good of our country but also to honor the memory of those lost on this day 22 years ago because the future of our nation depends upon it.
