On Patriotism

On September 11, 2001, I watched with the rest of the country as our nation’s supreme sense of security came to an abrupt end. Assuming first a terrible accident, the country was collectively naïve to the evil of this world. When the second plane came into view, moments before impacting the south tower, we could no longer deny that America was under attack.

The day was long. Another plane at the Pentagon and yet another in a field in Pennsylvania. What next? We held our breath as a nation.

Thankfully, the attack ended there.

In the days and weeks that followed, reports of selfless heroism came to light. Photos and stories of survivors and saviors emerged. The country mourned, but also celebrated the lives of those lost and the sacrifices many made to ensure the survival of strangers.

With their lives, 2,977 people, and their families, paid for a sense of patriotism and national unity that was unprecedented in the history of the world. Our entire country came together to honor the heroes of that day. A single day erased 225 years of wavering national pride and discord amongst ourselves. Neighbors forgave their grievances and politicians forgot their divisions. For a time.

Today, we are faced with a similar threat, but with a very dangerous contradiction. What looms before us, once again, is the sobering potential for another world war but with more internal division than any time since the Civil War. Our elected leaders appear only to be concerned with reelection aspirations rather than our nation’s security. Disrespect of our police and first responders is frighteningly acceptable. Terrorists entering our country undetected and unhindered is roundly ignored. And our warfighters and the funds needed to ensure they remain superior and therefore safe, seem dispensable. 

I would implore us all to remember the emotions that welled within us on that day 23 years ago. Remember the men and women who, without question, accepted their terrible fates so that others could survive. They probably didn’t know it at the time, but those people saved our country in that moment. It gave the rest of us hope that, as Americans, we are one. Honor the memory of those that died that day by honoring the service members and first responders who continue to fight for our freedoms and our safety. And do not allow petty partisan politics to propel us into an oblivion that, this time, we may not be able to come back from.