We Remember September 11, 2001

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

September 11, 2001… It was a sunny Tuesday morning.  Just a normal day with people going about their daily routines.  An ordinary day that out of nowhere became a living nightmare that changed New York City and America forever.  As we embark on the thirteenth anniversary of the single largest tragedy in American history, the pain still feels like an open wound that no matter what happens or changes as the years pass. We will never seem to fully heal.

Nobody saw it coming, four airplanes filled with men, women, and children, hijacked by nineteen terrorists hell bent on bringing as much pain and destruction to America as humanly possible. They were utilized as missiles with one plane striking each of the World Trade Center towers while another struck the Pentagon in our nation’s capital.  The fourth crash landed in a field in Pennsylvania due to the courageous act of it’s passengers who fought back against the men sent to end their lives.

Before we could even start to fathom the magnitude of the unspeakable horrors that just rocked our great nation, almost three thousand innocent lives were taken by a senseless act of pure evil.

As the Pentagon burned, emergency services from all over New York City raced over to the World Trade Center, not knowing that many of them would not make it back home to their loved ones.  Members of the NYPD, FDNY, Port Authority, and various EMS crews rushed into those buildings in a floor by floor effort to not only save the lives of those trapped inside, but to also attempt to quell the infernos that were burning from both buildings into the bright early morning sky.

Our lives suddenly came to an abrupt halt as we watched helplessly as, one after the other, the World Trade Center towers one and two — that were the symbol of the infamous New York Skyline — completely collapsed ending the lives of all those trapped in and around the towers and engulfed Lower Manhattan in an ominous dark cloud of debris and dust.

As the twin towers fell to the ground it symbolized the seemingly invincible United States of America being brought down to its knees. It was a cataclysmic event that nobody ever thought would happen to this nation.  As we all watched the devastation, we suddenly realized that the world we knew and how we lived in it would never be the same again.

But there is something amazing that happens when the resolve of America and its citizens is put to the test.  Instead of running away or spiraling into a full blown nationwide collapse, we saw in the days and weeks that followed that Americans rise up and become united as a whole.  Social issues that divided Americans suddenly seemed petty and were instantly thrown away to band together for a common cause. That cause was to help the land we love rise from the ashes, and show all forces of evil that when the forces of good stand united, they can never be defeated. And a nation built on resiliency will once again show its resolve and keep moving forward even after an unspeakable act of terror that was unlike anything America has ever seen before.

We mourned, we asked why, we were all knocked down but we went through all the pain and suffering together as one.  We picked each other up and helped each other start to recover and get back to living our daily lives.  It didn’t matter what race or religion you were or what sports team you rooted for.

So today is not about football.  Today is about remembering that tragic day thirteen years ago and honoring the memory of all the lives that were lost.  As I reflect… I not only remember all the pain and sadness felt by every single American, but I also remember seeing a display of patriotism and pride that united a nation and took on this massive physical and emotional burden as a whole.  Together we rebuilt our land and became stronger than ever before.

It’s a day like today where mourn the pain of losing so many innocent lives, but we also feel proud to be a part of a nation that can never be defeated by evil.  We will always remain steadfast in keeping our nation’s pride in our hearts that burns like an eternal flame that can never be extinguished.  It’s that feeling that makes me proud to be an American.

My sincerest thoughts and prayers go out to anyone who lost a loved one on that day and to anyone who still feels the pain and sadness of September 11, 2001.  Always remember that we are the United States of America and we will forever be united as one.  God bless America.