Ten Years of a promise to "never forget" and I must ask if just remembering is enough. Sixty-four years of the promise to "never forget" the holocaust hasn't steeled the world against smaller scale versions of similar atrocities and has not prevented "tolerance" of those that still call for the eradication of the very same race. For too many, 9/11 anniversaries and Memorials to the Fallen are simply an opportunity for publicity or a task that must be undertaken. For too many, it seems that it is enough, or even too much, to acknowledge the loss of life, but it is beyond their capacity to understand what is done to prevent a repeat, beyond their abilities to Support Our Troops in their actions, in their sacrifices, and in their risks to do so.
For weeks, leading up to 9/11/11, politicians have taken the podium, newscasts have interviewed celebrities, and newspapers have sought out specific demographics to tell their story. The stage at Ground Zero is to be so packed with politicians on 9/11/11, that there is no room for the Heroes that rushed in on 9/11/01 to preserve as many lives as every fiber of their bodies could save.
Many of these same celebrities rhetorically ask: "Was the effort in response to 9/11 worth it?" And they ask it not in an honest intellectual manner, but to convince Our Citizens to call it quits.
It is not enough to "remember 9/11." 9/11 was the catalyst. It was the culmination of decades of inaction against terrorism. It was the end of innocence. We must also remember that 9/11 is the reason we were forced to end the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. We must also remember that 9/11 is the reason we were forced to finally go out in the world and root out terrorists where ever their lairs may lie. We must remember that 9/11 showed us that evil really does exist in the world, that simply not being intolerant of that evil does not protect us from that evil from visiting our people.
We must remember that unless we actively confront those that love death more than life, that find joy in killing and oppressing, that they will kill whenever and wherever they can. We must remember enough, that we Support Our Troops in their efforts to prevent a new 9/11. We must remember enough, that we take the time to learn what Our Troops are doing. We must find this important enough to know that Our Troops find happiness in an Afghan child's smile, is willing to put their bodies between Our Citizens and our enemy.
It is not enough to simply support a politician or a party, or to distrust all politicians and parties, or to vote. We must care enough that we check what they claim, that we understand their records, and that we understand what Freedoms and Rights we have. We should not head to the polls like sheep herded through the pastures, but as informed Citizens, choosing the best option, knowing the difference between what they say and what they do.
To "Remember 9/11" should mean that we remember that pretending that bad things only happen to others far away does not prevent it from happening to Our Loved Ones in Our Nation. To "Remember 9/11" should mean that we know why Our Troops risk their lives and limbs in Afghanistan. To "Remember 9/11" should mean that we are concerned about Al-Qaeda's increased power in Yemen and in Somalia, that the increased Islamist violence in Nigeria and Egypt is not glossed over. To "Remember 9/11" means that while the fight in Afghanistan has a specific cause and purpose, that a return to power of the Taliban is not a viable option, that we must also prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from taking over Egypt and that tolerance of oppression is not a responsible choice.
To "Remember 9/11" means we can not put our collective heads back into the sands of naivete. Yes, we "Remember 9/11," but we must also remember that 9/11 was not the first attack, it did not come out of the blue. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden had declared war in 1996 and 1998. They had attacked the WTC in 1993. They had attacked the USS Cole, the Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the US Air Force Barracks in al-Khobar Saudi Arabia with Hezbollah help. They had fought Our Troops in Mogadishu.
Today's new Soldiers were 8 years old on 9/11/01. They remember that day, but they don't remember the Iranian Hostage Crisis. They don't remember the Fall of the Wall. They don't remember the age of innocence when the slaughter of civilians by terrorists meant only a cruise missile was fired at mud huts in the desert. Today's young Soldiers were born when America was cashing in the "peace dividend" along with the stock in Our Military that gave us that peace. Today's young Soldiers never learned to "duck and cover" in school. They don't know what it is like to live under the constant threat of global nuclear war, but they are willing to risk their lives to decrease the chance that Our Citizens will be touched by a terrorist attack in a high rise office building.
Freedom is not free. It requires the vigilance of Our Citizens. It requires Warriors willing to risk their own lives and to violently oppose those enemies that would oppress it. It requires a citizenry that refuses to become subjects and is willing to take the time to be the checks and balances at the ballot box.
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Simply remembering history is not enough.