Like most people who were alive and old enough to remember, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the news broke about the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. I was at home, with my grandchildren just arriving before school. I was getting ready for work and to take them to school when Kevin, my daughter Corrie’s husband, called to say there were fires at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I recall saying, “How can that be? They’re nowhere near each other!” I couldn’t comprehend it until we learned it was planes and terrorist attacks. The answer to that question left me feeling stunned all day, and for several days afterward. The thought of all the lives lost in the attack haunted me constantly. I felt a deep sense of dread and sorrow for the families who had suffered such immense loss. Like many Americans, I wished I could help but didn’t know how, and I was needed at home. So, I prayed constantly…for those still trapped, for the dead and dying, for their families, and for our country.
Looking back on all that horror, and hearing people complain about airport security, I can’t help but wonder what they’re thinking. It was complacency that left our country vulnerable to those attacks, and it is complacency that could let it happen again. If we want to protect ourselves and our nation, we have to stay vigilant. When I hear people say we 
shouldn’t profile those we search, I think, “Wake up!” In most other countries, we’re treated differently than their citizens. I’m not racist, but I believe that anyone who appears to have an Arab background should understand that if they aren’t a terrorist, these measures are also for their protection. The rules have changed so much since that day, 25 years ago, when we realized we can’t afford to be overly trusting. We should all be more understanding of those working to keep us safe and stop making their jobs harder…they’re just doing their work like everyone else.
In a perfect world, none of this would be necessary. We wouldn’t have lost 2,819 lives in a single day to a planned terrorist attack. Sadly, we don’t live in that kind of world, and there are people who despise us. We owe it to those who died to do everything we can to ensure it never happens again. We owe it to their families to see to it that their loved ones didn’t die in vain or worse yet, that they have been forgotten. Today marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The memory of that day and those who lost their 
lives should remain as vivid in our hearts as it was years ago and will be years from now. For those who died on that horrible day, we must never forget!!
