Post 9/11

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, are as vivid today as they were on that devastating morning. The world watched as jetliners crashed into the two tallest buildings in New York City. Viewers were sickened as both towers imploded. They were terrified to learn another plane had flown into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. And still another plane had crashed in rural Pennsylvania.

All the disasters were deliberate, it turned out.

All were the coordinated actions of terrorists.

It was a day that changed the world.

Last week those events and the memories of innocent victims who lost their lives were recalled in special observances around the country. Names were read. Bells were tolled. Wreaths were laid.

Those ceremonies held special significance for those of us who witnessed the horror of 9/11. But these special events serve another purpose as well. A new generation of Americans either wasn't born or was too young to comprehend what was going on that fateful day.

Our special observances now and in the years to come serve as a reminder of the inherent threats that abound around the world.

And they demonstrate the resolve of a nation to grow stronger after its darkest hours.