09/11/2026
25 years ago today, the world changed.
25 years ago, one of my uncles was at the World Trade Center taking a class. He came home one day earlier than planned. That simple decision may have saved his life.
At the same time, another one of my uncles was 30 years old and waiting to hear back from the Army about being accepted into Officer Candidate School. A few days later, he took the oath, knowing it would likely lead him directly into action.
Two brothers. Two very different experiences. One day that changed the trajectory of both of their lives.
In high school, I visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum before a performance with my school orchestra. The piece we were performing was dark, and we had always tried to put ourselves into a solemn state before performing it….. thatday, there was no acting. There was just pure emotion. I’ll never forget how heavy that performance felt after walking through the memorial and hearing the stories of the people whose lives were changed forever.
Today, I’m also thinking about the more than 300 search and rescue dogs and their handlers who worked tirelessly through the rubble alongside firefighters, police officers, and rescue crews. Their stories are part of that history, too.
Today, we remember the lives lost, the families changed forever, the first responders who ran toward danger, the military members who answered the call, and all of the individual stories that remind us September 11 wasn’t just a day in history. It was a day that changed real people’s lives.
25 years later, we remember. We will never forget.
