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The events of September 11, 2001 have forever changed our nation. Each alteration, from pressing matters such as national security down to the littlest things like our vocabulary, has a major impact on our society. Before 9/11, news of a plane crashing was a mild worry, but not especially severe unless it involved numerous people or was near where you lived. Now, any unusual event is a cause for concern, stress, and fear. The nightly news, while always grim, has become the information center for daily terrorist scares ranging from a mysterious package left in a store to a man taking hostages in public buildings. With all these threats out in the world, it is a wonder we do not live in confining bubbles, detached from danger and other hazards.
However, our nation has always been confident and assured in the face of danger. Even in times of conflict, we pull it together and help one another, strangers helping strangers as if they were the best of friends. After Hurricane Katrina, did you hear of people refusing to give aid to those in need? No. When conflict arises, we band together and pull through, setting aside our differences and remembering that we are all human, no matter what race, gender, or beliefs. 9/11 was no different. It was more serious, more tragic than other disasters our nation has survived, but Americans responded even more because of that. 2,996 people died in the September 11 attacks, but many more were saved, thanks to the first responders on the scene, some of which sacrificed their own lives in the process, and the continual outpouring throughout the rest of the day continuing through the aftermath of the events.
Did America fall apart and scatter into helpless pieces when we first heard news of the September 11 attacks? No. We joined together and showed the world proof that we were the confident, empowered nation we claimed to be. Now, ten years later, our country is changed dramatically from how it was. Security is tighter, worries and stress are higher, but we as a people are stronger. We survived 9/11, and it has helped us become a better nation. Hopefully, we will never have to suffer an event like the attacks again, but if we do, we know we can push through it and survive.
As I sit here writing this, the calendar on my laptop switches over to say 9/11/2011. If not for the events that transpired ten years ago, this would have been just another ordinary day, merely one out of three hundred sixty-five in the year. But because of those events, it has become a date that will be forever affixed in our memory, a glaring neon sign against a backdrop of gray. We can treat this day as a time to mourn the cruelty in our world, to condemn those who have taken thousands of lives from us with a few misguided decisions. Or, we can transfer our focus from the loss of life to reflect positively on the heroes of that day, to celebrate the lives led by those we lost and those who are still alive today, alike. We have many of these men and women to thank for preventing further tragedies in our nation and should look to them for true examples of leadership and patriotism.
Across the world today, thousands of memorial services involving millions of people are being held to honor those who died in the September 11 attacks. Particular to our community, the Casa Grande Youth Commission will sponsor a Night of Remembrance in Peart Park on Florence Boulevard on September 11. Beginning at 5:00, they will have live music and various booths set up, followed by a candlelight ceremony at 6:30. Please come by to show support for all those affected by the September 11 tragedy and assist the Youth Commission members if you are able to in collecting toiletry items to send to the troops overseas. Even if you cannot make it to the event, take a moment to reflect on what 9/11 means to you. Go back ten years and remember where you were when you first heard the news that planes had hit the towers. Think about the men and women who gave their lives protecting us, and those who put themselves in danger every day to preserve the freedoms we enjoy.
We cannot reverse the terrorist attacks that so strongly affected our country a decade ago, or the destruction that followed in their wake. However, we can put ourselves in control of our futures and take charge of how we let those attacks transform our people. Today we stand together, united as one, to defend our country and the rights of our citizens. We will not forget the events of September 11 or the impact they have had, and will continue to have, on our country. No matter how painful it is to remember, we must not forget, for those who died, those who fought, those who saved, and those who lived.
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