Where were you? Do you remember where you were on this day 15 years ago? Do you remember what you were doing when you heard the news on the day evil was unleashed on our nation? On a day marked by the numbers of our call for help (9/11) we were crippled in fear and horror. Yet we were energized by anger and hatred. How could someone do something so atrocious? Our stomachs ached as we watched the second plane plunge into the second tower. We crumbled when we heard of acts of heroism and valor. On that day we vowed, with no uncertainty, We will never forget!

If you would have told me 15 years ago that our nation would soon forget the events we witnessed on the news, I would have told you that you were crazy. But I would have been wrong. It was short-sighted to believe that an event like this would have a lasting impact. It was silly to think that our self-absorbed culture would carry this much beyond a decade.

I was in St Louis finishing up my schooling when the news came across campus. We gathered in the lobby to watch the television. We packed into the chapel to pray and try to figure out what was happening. We looked to the skies as they began to fill with F-16s and other fighter jets being scrambled. We knew we were under a full-scale attack and we were just waiting to see where the next hit would take place.

It took a while for things to return to normal. For a while it was that whole new normal where you go back to your routine but you just are uneasy and unsure. Then that new normal slipped away and here we sit almost as if it never happened. We became a nation united after the attack. We pulled together as the UNITED States of America. Today we’re just as divided as ever. Some refuse to stand to honor the men and women who fought to secure our freedoms. We make a spectacle of the national anthem as if it’s something about us as individuals instead of a song describing the honor of being part of something great.

Never Forget

I don’t care which side of the aisle you align when it comes to politics. Today, take a minute to just stop. Stop what you’re doing and ponder the families that have one less person at the table. Think about the children who are growing up with one less parent and the parents who will never see their children grow old. Today marks the 15th Anniversary of the events that rocked this country to the core. Today we need to resurrect the emotion of that moment. Today we need to remember what happened when we pulled together. Today we need to become again The UNITED States of America.

God truly has blessed our land. Thank you to all who serve and protect. Wherever you and whatever you do, today we honor you.