We will not forget the lessons of 9/11

Published 10:19 pm Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Twelve years ago terrorists seeking to destroy our way of life burned September 11 into the history books.

This infamous date in the 21st Century for our freedom-loving county caused many Americans to question how this could happen. But our focus should be on the reason behind this latest attack by radical Islamic terrorists — who have been hitting the United States off-and-on since the late 1970s.

During the previous 20 years, the United States had felt the pain of Americans dying from different brands of radical Islamic terrorists, mostly overseas. But September 11, 2001, brought massive destruction and deaths to our soil. September 11 changed how we look at the world.

We need to understand these terrorists — those who use violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes so a state of fear is produced — hate the United States and its freedoms.

When these terrorists hijacked four airplanes — flying two into the World Trade Center in New York, another into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., while a fourth smashed into the Pennsylvania farmlands after Americans on board acted to avert a worse disaster — it awoke most Americans to the fact we are no longer a country separated from the world by seas and friendly borders.

Tracing the start of this widening trail of radical Islamic terrorism against the United States dates to 1979. In November of 1979 radical Iranian students seized the American Embassy in Teheran, taking American diplomats and embassy employees prisoners. This was with the backing of the government. More than a year of failed negotiations with the Iranian government, plus an unsuccessful airborne rescue attempt, helped bring down President Carter’s administration.

Once we felt this slap in the face in Iran nearly 23 years ago, we should have taken notice, but slow-to-anger Americans tried to heal these wounds while others in this area of the world looked on it as a weakness.

Attacks continued. The largest number of Americans killed previously was in Lebanon in 1983 with 241 Marines giving their lives on a peacekeeping mission. The 1996 bombing on Khobar Towers in Saudia Arabia killed 19 Americans, followed by American embassies in the Africa being hit in 1998; the suicide bombing of the U.S.S. Cole resulted in 17 killed in 2000. Americans died on hijacked flights around the world.

Then the terrorist truck bombing of the World Trade Center Feb. 26, 1993, killed six Americans. This should have been a wake-up call, but once again we went after terrorists, not the masterminds.

Now one year later, we Americans are asked to remember 9-11.

We remember the many senseless deaths, the many terrible injuries and the many tears and sorrows of survivors.

We are also remembering this day is a day of compassion and grief; of sorrow and remembrance; of celebration; and of courage and sacrifice of the heroes of that day.

We also continue to feel the uncertainties brought about by 9-11. Our innocence was lost. But our resolve to rebound and to protect the freedoms of our great country should not be lost.

We do remember.