This Sept. 11 marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93, where nearly 3,000 lives were lost. It’s a moment in America’s history that the American Legion Family continues to remember and ensure that their community never forgets the lives lost that day or the 7,000 service members lost fighting in the global war on terrorism following the attacks.
For all Americans, for all time, the phrase “nine-eleven” will evoke a special meaning, a memory of a moment in our history when the world as we knew it changed forever. It is fitting, then, that every year on September 11, Americans join together to honor the memory of those who died that day. It is fitting that we pay tribute to those lives cut short, and to the empty places left behind in the hearts of those still living.
Heroism and compassion were boundless on 9/11. Patriots from all backgrounds and all walks of life responded with speed, with courage, and with compassion. In the aftermath of the attack, our service members and our nation rallied together as one.
President George W. Bush stated: “A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations ot our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”
Twenty-five years later, we still remember. We honor the lives lost, the courage of the heroes, the strength of a nation, forever changed. May love, unity, and remembrance keep their memory alive in every heart, forever remembered.
Ross Bergstresser, Commander
