This week we remember the 25th anniversary of 9/11
For most of my life, American citizens came together for our nation’s most memorable moments. In spite of our differences, we stood united during times of national mourning and celebration.
Joyfully, we recognized holidays like Thanksgiving and Independence Day. Respectfully, we mourned tragedies, like the string of assassinations in the 1960s, the Challenger explosion, and the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
I was unaware back then how privileged we were to share a collective conscience in joys and sorrows.
This week we remember the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Sadly, some will minimize it, ignore it, or make excuses for our enemies. In this era of historic distortion, we must persist in sharing the truth. Many of our fellow Americans do not share our memories. In fact, a new generation has already come of age that did not bear witness to the most deadly foreign attack on American soil.
They did not watch planes slam into the Twin Towers and black smoke engulf a blue, cloudless sky. They did not witness firefighters climbing stairwells to their certain death as occupants hurried down to their escape. They did not feel terror grip their hearts as the tallest towers in Manhattan vanished from the skyline and New Yorkers fled the streets cloaked in white ash. They did not sit paralyzed in front of the TV as a third plane crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth went down in a Pennsylvania field.
This younger generation of Americans did not watch these scenes for days on a continual loop, horror-stricken to see news footage of some in the Middle East, including women and children, celebrating in their streets for reasons unimaginable to us. They did not have to wait for the story of “why” to unfold while poring over news articles about devastated American lives for weeks on end. They did not witness a united Congress standing on the steps of the Capitol singing “God Bless America.” Nor did they scour stores for American flags flying off the shelves in a fever of patriotism and national pride. What were the events that triggered all of this?
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorists seized control of four airplanes in flight. In a coordinated attack, they crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, soon followed by United Airlines Flight 175 exploding into the South Tower. American Airlines Flight 77 soared straight into the Pentagon, and when passengers fought to regain control of United Airlines Flight 93, it crashed in a field in Shanksville, PA. In less than two hours, downtown Manhattan was reduced to rubble, and 2,977 people across three states were murdered on American soil.
These are the undeniable facts.
No longer can we count on a collective American conscience to tell the story of this day. Nor can we count on history books, the academy, or school curriculum. In our families and spheres of influence, we must continue to tell the story of that terrible day when terrorists attacked our fellow citizens, our cities, our freedoms, and our very way of life.
Last September, our freedoms came under attack again. We suffered another terrible loss when Charlie Kirk was gunned down by one of our own on September 10, 2025. For more than a decade, Charlie reinforced conservative values on college campuses by inviting students into conversations about politics, culture, sin, and faith. For exercising his freedom of speech, which he consistently did in a godly and honorable way, Charlie was assassinated.
In this week of remembrance, let’s share our stories of these events—the undistorted facts as well as our personal experiences and reflections. Throughout scripture, the Lord commands us to remember. He instituted Passover and the Jewish festivals, all of which culminated in the blessed sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.”
I pray that the Lord will comfort and embolden you this week in your storytelling and remembrance. In this you share a tremendous gift with a new generation of Americans.
