Some students at the University of Idaho are too young to remember where they were or what they were doing during the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Despite this, the day remains infamous as one of the darkest hours in U.S. history.
For students, the events of 9/11 and the War on Terror that followed continue to define our generation — much like the World Wars and the Vietnam War defined previous generations. Even though it happened 13 years ago, the fallout from the attacks that day continues to influence Americans every day.
The impact of 9/11 connects every U.S. citizen, even if they and their loved ones weren’t directly affected by it.
In just one day, our entire culture changed. It morphed our politics, our worldviews and changed many Americans day-to-day lives. The Twin Towers collapsed within two hours, but the full impact can never truly be measured.
Even if more and more people are unable to remember the specific events of the day in detail, they can recall important details, and they aren’t always dark. Yes, we mourn for the almost 3,000 civilian deaths and the attack of the Pentagon and the destruction of the Twin Towers We remember the firefighters and law enforcement officers who ran toward the chaos instead of away from it. We remember the people of New York City supporting one another to clean up the damage.
We remember every life that has been lost as a result of 9/11 every day since. Most importantly, we remember Americans coming together when we needed the unity more than ever before.
Everyone has differing opinions on current events in our society, and a lot of the time, we let our opinions shape our everyday actions. While having different views is part of a healthy society, in situations like these we need to remember what’s really important. We need to be there for each other, just like we were in 2001.
Above anything else, the fact that people simply continue to remember 9/11 in the first place matters. Even if it’s painful, the worst thing would be to forget.
Some of the deadliest events in recorded history have slowly faded into footnote status in our textbooks. We can’t allow the same to happen with 9/11.
-EB