Remembering: 9/11 18th Anniversary Ceremony

USA – It’s been 18 years since radical Islamic terrorists executed a sensational series of terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans. A lot has happened in the interim and it’s hard to imagine what our world would be like with out this tragic event. Every September 11 we remember every single life lost, the heroism of first responders and strangers alike, and the enduring and overwhelming since of unity Americans felt against a seemingly existential threat against not only the lives of Americans, but the very American ideas of liberty and one’s right to life.

In our current political environment it is hard to imagine such a dearth of division across the American spectrum, let alone a unified patriotism and defense of the American idea. It’s also easy to romanticize the years immediately following the 9/11 attacks as devoid of  any divisions.

But while 2020 elections will include voters born after 9/11/2001, who’ve only ever learned about the attacks as politically correct history, those that lived through them can recall the palpable sense of being an American in those moments. It’s a sense worth reminding ourselves of every year as we remember the innocent lives lost life and honor the first responders that keep all of communities safe.

The State of North Carolina has designated September 11 as First Responders Day, and communities across the Old North State hold walks and vigils to recognize our First Responders and remember the victims. Many local fire departments, like in Angier for instance, load up in their full gear as the New York City Firefighters did that day, and march to match their fateful steps up the towers’ stairs to save lives.

Triangle area readers can find a list of local events commemorating the anniversary of 9/11 and celebrating First Responders here.

Take a moment to thank your local firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical personnel today, for their service and in honor of those make the ultimate sacrifice. Remember the lives lost in the Twin Towers, in the Pentagon, on United 93, and the service men and women that offered their lives in the fight against radical Islamic terrorists around the world. Remember the sense of being an American, our common values and why we hold them dear. And, as a North Carolinian, personify Esse Quam Videri. Being a proud American, rather than merely seeming, so that the forces that attacked us 18 years ago only serve to make us more so.