Patriot Day

We will never forget

by Stephanie Thompson

September 11, 2001, is a day known infamously around the world as simply “9/11.” Every person in the United States who was old enough to remember knows exactly what they were doing the moment the twin towers crashed down into New York City’s streets.

In New York City, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania, 2,977 people lost their lives that day. Many others have died in the aftermath: from those who inhaled toxic substances in the dust cloud left by the fallen towers to the men and women who sacrificed their lives overseas in the fight against terrorism.

Patriot Day—the annual day of remembrance for those killed in the September 11 attacks—is usually full of events to bring people together to commemorate the lives of the victims. However, with COVID-19 still raging across the country, many of those events have been cancelled or moved online.

The iconic Tribute in Light event at ground zero was nearly cancelled this year due to fears regarding the safety of the crew during the pandemic. In response to the initial announcement of cancellation, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York tweeted that the state “will provide health personnel and supervision so the [9/11 Memorial and Museum] can mount the Tribute in Light safely.”

Though New York will be able to have a crowd this year, many other cities—including Jacksonville—do not have the capacity to support such an event. While we may not be able to come together this year as we have in the past, we can still honor the men, women and children whose lives were so abruptly taken.

We can sit with our families and bow our heads for a moment of silence. We can ask a loved one or a friend to tell us their story of September 11. We can share our own stories. We can tell our children about what happened that day—what it meant for our country, our society, and for us as individuals—what it means even today. We will never forget.