09/12/2026
It’s hard to believe I was sitting in my fifth-grade classroom at Chasco Elementary when 9/11 happened. I remember watching my friends get picked up, the fear and panic, and my mother telling me they were saying planes might be flown into Tampa.
At that young age, I knew something was wrong. As I grew older, I came to understand the full weight of that day.
I’m a millennial. We grew up with trauma, and 9/11 is something our generation will never forget.
Today, being downtown for our city’s 9/11 remembrance event brought those memories rushing back. Seeing the faces of the firefighters, police officers, first responders, and innocent people we lost reminded me how important it is to keep their memories alive.
As the son of one of those firefighters said, this day should not be about hate. It should be about love.
For those we lost, we speak their name,
Through every year, their light remains.
Though time may pass and memories stay,
We choose to love, remember, and pray. 🇺🇸
Never forgotten. Always remembered.
-MJ
