I was only 4 years old on September 11th, 2001, but I still remember that fateful day as if it was yesterday. Hearing noises down the hall, I woke up and walked into the living room, where my parents’ faces, pale from shock, stared blankly at the television set. I remember asking my dad what was going on, and his usually powerful voice was softened by pain. “Two planes just flew into the World Trade Center,” he said. Silence ensued, and we watched in horror as the magnificent towers collapsed, entombing thousands of helpless souls. Days after the attack, Congress unanimously supported military action against the Islamic terrorists behind the ruthless slaughter of American citizens.
Today, I can’t help but wonder if I am one of the only people who remembers the death and destruction of that day. Government leaders who wholeheartedly supported military action against the terrorists ten years ago don’t anymore. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to some, are only over oil, not over the elimination of those responsible for 9/11. It’s almost as if the thousands of deaths that September morning have been erased from the memories of the American people. It’s like no one really understands that Islamic terrorists want to kill us.
Clearly, Americans are taking their freedom for granted. Many Americans believe that freedom is a right, something that must be and always has been guaranteed for us. But this could not be further from the truth. Freedom is not a right, but a privilege earned by blood, sweat, tears, and desire. When thousands of lives vanished on September 11th, freedom began to slip from our fingers, and we suddenly realized how important it truly was to keep that freedom. We had fires in our bellies; a collective desire to let al-Qaeda know that America is the land of the free and the home of the brave.
What has happened to us?
