The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, left wounds that time will never fully heal. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in a despicable act of terrorism – mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, family members and friends.
“Never Forget,” we vowed together. But today, about 1 in 3 Americans are too young to remember 9/11. Part of our duty to those we lost, and to our country, is to teach them what happened that day and in the years after, so that they will pass the lessons on to their children and grandchildren.
The terrorists targeted New York City because it has long been a symbol of the freedoms they hated. They aimed not only to bring down buildings, but also to break our spirit and our commitment to the values that give us strength: openness, diversity, tolerance and ambition.
To see New York a quarter century later is to comprehend how profoundly they failed. The city is more vibrant, exciting and alive than ever before.
But 25 years ago, none of that was guaranteed.
Continue reading the op-ed in USA Today