Teach your children well
Their father's hell did slowly go by.
"Never forget" is a fine slogan for those of us who were old enough to remember September 11, 2001. But a generation later, Americans born since the late 1990s have no memory of that day. It's time to pass on the knowledge of the terrible evil inflicted upon our country.
Share with the young people in your life your experience of 9/11. We who remember all have our stories, seared with vivid detail into our memories. Do not spare the details of the massive carnage wrought by Islamist terrorist hatred directed at innocent American citizens. Talk about the heroes of United Flight 93 and the American Flight 77 attack on the Pentagon as well as the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Many American families are suffering to this present day from the destructive effects of 9/11. More Americans have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were murdered on that day. More victims of these illnesses undoubtedly will continue to die. That's worth open discussion and remembrance, too.
Explain also how our entire country came together and supported one another during that unbearable time. In these days of domestic division and political vitriol, that part might be the most difficult to convey to a younger generation steeped in our current societal strife.
We must not allow the 9/11 attacks to become merely two annual beams of light. Nor can we allow altered narratives to be constructed around the stark reality of 9/11. Tell the story that those who died that day deserve to have passed on.
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| Beams of light commemorate the 9/11 attacks on NY's Twin Towers. |
