“Those who cannot remember the past,” George Santayana wrote famously in his 1905 work “The Life of Reason,” “are condemned to repeat it.” As the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approaches, Santayana’s observation seems all too relevant today.
Sadly, September 11, 2023, will be a day just like any other for far too many Americans, barely more than two decades after the worst terrorist act in American history killed thousands and marked the beginning of two decades of military conflict.
I am a survivor of Ground Zero. I was working at the American Stock Exchange that day. Just about a block away, from the corner of Cedar Street and Church Street, the Twin Towers were immediately visible. I saw the gaping holes in Towers 1 and 2 as I watched Ladder Company 10 make its way into the area. Those firefighters were among the first on the scene, and I will never forget seeing them in that moment.
There’s something else I will never forget: the sight of a woman in a yellow and pink dress falling from one of the buildings. Whenever I have nightmares of that day, this singular memory haunts me most. As she fell, she held her dress in one final act of dignity.
Like millions of Americans, I vowed I would never forget those lost on that day. I’ve spent the bulk of the years since as the volunteer founder and chairman of a non-profit serving military personnel, veterans, and emergency services personnel. I’ve done my best to “never forget.”
But life does move on, and our collective memory fades – even if slowly. We have an entire generation of children born after 9/11 who are now in early adulthood. Some of those not yet born on September 11, 2001, are themselves old enough to be serving in the military, police, fire, or first responder ranks. They did not live the horror and fear of that day, or the days that followed.
Still, they are inheriting a country and a world defined in many ways by 9/11, the armed conflicts that followed, and by public policy choices made in the wake of the attacks. If they are to learn the lessons of 9/11, they must hear it from those of us who lived through it.
That’s why I was so dismayed with the lack of attention the recent 20th anniversary received. That anniversary happened as the country was just emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, and I hoped pandemic-era precautions explained the lack of attention to such a milestone anniversary.
Then another disappointment. The White House announced on Wednesday that President Biden would not mark the anniversary at any of the primary sites (Ground Zero in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington County, Va., or the Flight 93 Site in Shanksville, Penn). Instead, he will visit Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
I have no doubt President Biden mourned our losses on 9/11 and in the conflicts that followed. In fact, his own son has served, for which we thank him. Yet, as President, he has a unique platform from which to focus national attention. And this year, it seems we really are beginning to forget.
We must not let the date pass casually, with our national leaders making a cursory effort to mark the day. And while twice before (2005 and 2015) the date was marked from the South Lawn of the White House, it is incredibly rare for a president to miss one of the main sites. Our seemingly fading national memory is particularly troubling.
Whether the president is there or not, I implore every American to stop and reflect this 9/11. Reflect on the sacrifices made, the lives lost, the heroism on display, and the national unity that followed. Reflect also on the need to honor those who have served and sacrificed, and those who still suffer physical and mental health consequences after bearing the burden of service.
Make time, too, to help those around you remember. For those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
