Our View: We will never forget 9/11

For many people, the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 will be a moment frozen in time.

Everyone alive and aware of their surroundings that day has a story. Maybe they were stepping off the school bus and suddenly being ushered into a library or gym to watch the news, all the while teachers, counselors and other school workers attempted to calm the student body while they were processing the events themselves. Some may have been suddenly grounded and were stranded at airports after the attacks. Of course, anyone in New York or Washington, D.C., would have a very harrowing experience no one outside those cities would understand.

Over the next 20 years, the U.S. participated in armed conflicts in two countries, with a full-scale withdraw from Afghanistan only taking place recently. Two decades is a long time and it isn’t far-fetched to say an entire generation has grown up within that time span, never knowing a time when the country wasn’t involved in military action overseas.

The day those planes collided into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon was a watershed moment for the United States. Afterward, we got used to the sight of military jets making flyovers during sporting events. TSA continues to search our belongings anytime we want to board an aircraft, despite some evidence the procedures in place amount to little more than ineffective security theater. Perhaps the best result of all is the value we’ve placed on those who serve in the armed forces. Their service and sacrifices are much more widely acknowledged now than they were prior to 9/11.

9/11 had a tremendous impact on the United States, socially and politically, and it is unlikely the changes spurred from that moment in time will be undone anytime soon.

We will never forget 9/11.