09/11/2026
For those of us who lived through September 11, 2001, the day is forever etched in our memory.
We remember where we were as the unimaginable unfolded.
But 25 years later, an entire generation has no personal memory of that day. For them, September 11 is history — perhaps a classroom lesson, photograph, or story told by someone who was there.
That makes remembering more than reflection. It makes it a responsibility.
Nearly 3,000 innocent people began what seemed like an ordinary day—and never came home.
Firefighters climbed stairwells as others were coming down. Police officers, paramedics, and citizens moved toward danger to help people they had never met.
In those moments, the labels we place on one another meant nothing. There were no strangers, no sides, and no differences to measure — only people who needed help and people willing to risk everything to reach them.
They simply answered the call.
Their sacrifice did not end when the fires were extinguished. Many who participated in the rescue, recovery, and cleanup—or worked and lived nearby—later developed cancers, respiratory illnesses, and other serious health conditions connected to their exposure. Many have since died.
We must remember them, too.
But on this 25th anniversary, we should also remember what happened on September 12. In the hours and days that followed, something remarkable happened. We came together—not as red states or blue states, but as red, white, and blue states.
We checked on our neighbors, thanked our first responders, and stood beside people whose backgrounds and beliefs may have been different from our own.
For a time, there were no dividing lines. We were Americans first, united by a shared sense of purpose and love for our country.
Twenty-five years later, much has changed. We have become quicker to judge and more willing to let our differences define us. Too often, we speak past one another instead of listening.
This is not about politics. It is about who we choose to be as Americans.
First responders continue to show us the way. When someone calls for help, they respond — without hesitation, without judgment, and without asking whether that person is like them.
They simply see someone in need.
Perhaps more of us should follow their example.
We cannot return to the world as it existed before September 11. But we can reclaim the spirit that existed on September 12 — the belief that we belong to one another, that every person matters, and that moving our nation forward requires all of us.
The greatest way we can honor those we lost is not only to remember their sacrifice, but to carry forward the courage, service, and unity they inspired.
Twenty-five years later, that remains both their legacy and our challenge: to put others first, to pay it forward, and to leave this nation better than we found it.
-- Chief B
