We Will ‘Never Forget’…and Must Ensure the Next Generation Doesn’t Either

Twenty-three years ago today, millions of Americans woke up to just another day. By the time the sun set across the country on September 11, 2001, skylines would be irreversibly marred, thousands would grapple with searing loss while even more wouldn’t yet know the fate of their loved ones, and stories of everyday heroes forged in the day’s hell began to emerge. For the rising generation, however, the attacks of September 11, 2001, are only slightly more real than the attack on Pearl Harbor and certainly no more visceral. It is for these millions of young Americans — and future generations — for whom the promise to “Never Forget” was made.

Those of us who remember that clear September morning and the horrors of the day might have, over the years, preferred to forget some of the scenes from September 11. But the images, broadcasts, and phone calls are seared into the memories of millions who watched — first shocked to learn of a “freak accident” in Manhattan and then stunned when it became clear that America was under attack. 

Initially reported by some outlets as a small plane, American Airlines Flight 11 — a Boeing 767 with 76 passengers (not counting the terrorists) and 11 crew members aboard — was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. and set off the first of many horrific images from the day.