“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.” – President George W. Bush, 2001

It is ten years ago today that the United States faced an unspeakable tragedy. It is also this day ten years ago that the United States came together and showed unity that was unparalleled. The events that unfolded that day affected everyone in the United States and across the world. It was one of those events where you knew exactly where you were and what you were doing when you first heard the news.

I recently read an article by E.J Dionne titled “Time to leave 9/11 Behind.” to give you an idea of the tone of the article, I give you this little snippet:

“After we honor the 10th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we need to leave the day behind. As a nation we have looked back for too long. We learned lessons from the attacks, but so many of them were wrong. The last decade was a detour that left our nation weaker, more divided and less certain of itself.”

I was in shock when I read the article. Who could ever say “This does nothing to honor those who died and those who sacrificed to prevent even more suffering.”

What happened that fateful day should never be forgotten. It was a day that our nation was threatened by pure evil, but it was also a day when it drew out the best in us in the form of our first responders, who while fully aware of the danger to their own lives, ran towards the Twin Towers.

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.” – President George W. Bush, 2001

This was evident in the short speech he gave to all the responders that very day. The unity displayed by all the workers is touching and the spontaneous USA USA USA chant showed how strong we are as a nation.

I was at the USC/Utah football game yesterday, the eve of 9/11, and after the National Anthem was sung, USC acknowledged and paid tribute to 9/11 by showing several pictures in remembrance. A spontaneous chant of USA USA USA broke out.

Most other days in the year, this sort of patriotism and unity is undemonstrated but still in the minds of everyone. It takes a tragedy like this or a big event, like the death of Osama bin Laden, to really bring everyone together. As evident by a small sample at USC yesterday, it is days like this that really unify us as a nation. It is clear that people do not want to forget, and nor should we. And these calls, to leave our memories behind by writers, like Dionne, are egregious and clearly not the sentiment of the American people.

The families of the victims and heroes will never be able to forget. They live it and relive it everyday of their lives. We owe it to them and ourselves as a nation to remember at least this one unforgettable day.

Linked here is the list of all the victims from September 11, 2001. Please take a little time out of your day and pray for their friends and families as well as those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom.

John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”