09/11/2026
25 years.
When they say, āNever Forget,ā I donāt think they realize that so many of us canāt. We all remember where we were that day. So many of us have been touched personally by this tragedy and, unfortunately, continue to be affected by it to this day.
The world, and all of us, changed that day.
There was a time before 9/11 and a time after it. A time when innocence, safety, and security were changed forever, and the feeling of vulnerability became part of everyday life.
There are generations now who can never know the difference, and it still hurts to think about everything that was taken from us.
I will always remember, and be grateful for, the first responders and heroes who sacrificed so much to keep us safe. The men and women who ran toward danger while everyone else was trying to escape it.
I feel so much pain at how many continue to live with the physical consequences of that day, including 9/11-related illnesses, and with memories they can never erase.
There is a moment captured by Jules and GƩdƩon Naudet that has always stayed with me. While filming alongside FDNY firefighters, they captured the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center. After the initial shock, you hear a firefighter, without a moment of hesitation, say:
āCome on, guys. Letās go.ā
They didn't know exactly what had happened. They didn't know what was waiting for them when they got there. They didn't know what the next hours would bring or whether they would make it home.
And still, they went.
That courage is what we should never forget.
We were one country then. Today, there is so much division, anger, and distrust between us, and sometimes it feels like weāve forgotten the things that once brought us together.
I hope we can remember.