25 Years Later: We Will Never Forget September 11, 2001

Twenty-five years ago today, our nation experienced one of the darkest days in American history.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and carried out coordinated attacks against the United States. Nearly 3,000 innocent people were killed at the World Trade Center in New York City, at the Pentagon in Virginia, and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

For those who lived through that day, the images remain difficult to forget.

But amid the destruction, fear, and uncertainty, Americans also witnessed extraordinary courage.

While thousands of people were desperately trying to escape the World Trade Center, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and other first responders were running toward the danger.

They knew their duty, and they answered the call.

Remembering Our Fallen First Responders

The attacks of September 11 took an enormous toll on New York City’s first responder community.

The New York City Fire Department lost 343 members that day.

The New York City Police Department lost 23 officers.

The Port Authority Police Department lost 37 officers.

Behind each of those numbers was a person. They were fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, partners, friends, and colleagues.

They put on their uniforms that morning expecting another day of service. Instead, they were confronted with circumstances few could have imagined.

Police officers rushed into the chaos to establish security, assist the injured, direct evacuations, and help thousands of people escape. Firefighters climbed the towers carrying heavy equipment while frightened civilians descended past them. Paramedics and emergency medical personnel treated the wounded amid conditions that continued to deteriorate around them.

They went toward the danger because others needed their help.

That willingness to place another person’s life ahead of one’s own represents the very best of the first responder professions.

The Sacrifice Did Not End on September 11

We must also remember that the human cost of September 11 did not end when the smoke cleared.

Thousands of police officers, firefighters, emergency personnel, construction workers, volunteers, and others spent days, weeks, and months working at Ground Zero and other affected sites. Many were exposed to hazardous conditions while searching for survivors, recovering the fallen, and helping New York City begin the long process of recovery.

In the years since, many have suffered serious illnesses associated with those exposures. Some have lost their lives.

They, too, are part of the legacy of September 11, and their sacrifice deserves to be remembered.

Remembering the America of September 12

There is something else worth remembering 25 years later.

In the days following the attacks, Americans came together.

Political differences suddenly seemed insignificant compared with what united us. American flags appeared on homes, businesses, vehicles, police stations, and firehouses across the country. Strangers helped strangers. Communities supported their police officers and firefighters. Americans stood together in mourning, determination, and patriotism.

For a time, we were reminded that despite our disagreements, we share something much larger.

We are Americans.

A generation has now grown up with no personal memory of September 11, 2001. That makes our responsibility to remember even more important.

We must tell the stories.

We must remember the innocent people who simply went to work, boarded an airplane, or began another ordinary morning and never returned home.

We must remember the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who fought back.

We must remember the members of our Armed Forces who answered our nation’s call in the years that followed.

And we must remember the police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and other first responders who demonstrated what courage and service truly mean.

We Will Never Forget

On this 25th anniversary, the members of Fraternal Order of Police Cream City Lodge #8 pause to honor every life lost on September 11, 2001, and every life subsequently lost because of the events of that day.

To the families who lost loved ones, we remember with you.

To the survivors, we honor your strength.

To the police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and other first responders who answered the call, we honor your service.

And to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we will continue to speak your names, tell your stories, and remember what you did.

Twenty-five years have passed.

We remember where we were.

We remember those we lost.

We remember those who ran toward the danger.

And we remember the way America stood together afterward.

September 11, 2001

We Remember. We Honor. We Will Never Forget.