By Simon Gonzalez
Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack in modern history.
It was on Sept. 11, 2001, that 19 radical Islamic terrorists hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide missions that stunned the country and the world.
Two of the planes hit their targets, taking down the Twin Towers in lower Manhattan. A third plane hit the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, prevented from reaching its target by the heroic actions of passengers.
Nearly 3,000 were killed, and more than 6,000 wounded.
We should know all this. The number of planes, the targets hit, the casualty count. But over the course of 15 years, have we forgotten?
Do we remember that the planes were bound from New York to California, chosen because their full fuel loads would inflict the maximum carnage? Do we remember that hundreds of first-responders were among the dead? Do we remember the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 who, after learning of the earlier attacks, embarked on their own suicide mission to thwart the terrorists and bring down the plane short of its intended target, believed to be either the White House or the U.S. Capitol?
When the date that has become a part of our national lexicon rolls around each year, do we even think about what is it we should be remembering?
We should remember the incredible heroism of the first-responders who, instead of running away from danger, ran toward it. During and after the attack 71 law enforcement officers and 343 firefighters were killed in the World Trade Center and on the ground in New York City.
We should also remember the selfless bravery of the men and women on Flight 93, who fought back and prevented an even greater loss of life.
We should remember the sacrifice of the 6,800-plus members of the U.S. military who have lost their lives in Afghanistan in Iraq since 9/11, fighting the war on terror, along with the tens of thousands who sustained combat wounds and the nearly 120,000 veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
With 9/11 falling on a Sunday this year, it might be a good time to remember by attending a community observance, like the one held by the Wrightsville Beach Fire and Police departments. The ceremony will be held at the town’s public safety building at 9:45 a.m. and is expected to last about 30 minutes.
Reminders of 9/11 can be seen on any given day across the land. The tradition of playing “God Bless America” during the 7th-inning stretch, started in the patriotic fervor after the attacks, continues at Major League ballparks across the land.
Passengers are subject to increased security at airports thanks to the Transportation Security Administration, created after 9/11.
We have a government that spies on its citizens through the Patriot Act, signed into law after 9/11.
Americans accept much of it, because of our need to be safe. Or at least have the illusion of safety, because as the Boston Marathon bombing (four dead), the San Bernardino shooting (14 dead) and the Orlando nightclub shooting (49 dead) prove, not every plot can be foiled.
We should always remember that there are people who hate us and are highly motivated to cause death and destruction. The 9/11 terrorists, affiliated with the jihadist predecessor to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al-Qaida, were apparently motivated to strike in retaliation for America’s support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War and its continued military presence in the Middle East.
The ideology is radical and extreme. Its terrorist practitioners are a small minority, but it would be foolish to pretend it doesn’t exist. Fifteen years after 9/11, vigilance remains critical.
