Shocked in horror; united in response

In the grand scheme of things, few days have as much meaning or carry as much emotional freight as Sept. 11, 2001.

It is a day that will live in infamy for anyone who saw the live footage of those doomed jetliners ripping through the Twin Towers in New York, or witnessed the carnage on the ground that day. It was a morning of unspeakable horror for millions around the globe, and although 14 years have passed since that fateful day, the memory is just as searing now as it was then.

As with any major trauma, most people who were alive and watching that long-ago morning can recall their whereabouts with unusual clarity. They can remember what they were wearing and what they were thinking seconds before those fiery explosions began filling their television screens.

They can remember the smoke, the debris, the dazed survivors drifting through the streets or running for cover, and the images of people jumping from the towers toward a swifter death. They can recall the absolute disbelief when, one after the other, the towers collapsed in a massive heap of dust and concrete. They can remember the outrage and helplessness they felt while witnessing one of the great tragedies of our time.

All told, the terrorist attacks by al-Qaida operatives on 9/11 claimed more than 3,000 lives, 400 of them police officers and firefighters. It was a punch to the heart of a nation. A shock to the world.

But it didn't take long for shock to give way to focus and mourning to give way to action. In the immediate aftermath of the incident in New York, an attempt on the Pentagon in Washington, and a thwarted attempt in Pennsylvania, droves of volunteers poured in from just about every corner of the nation, offering any scrap of aid they could muster.

"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America," said then-President George W. Bush. "These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve."

So, today, 14 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, let's not only remember the horror and heroism of the day. Let's also remember what we can accomplish when we pull together toward common goals. 9/11 was a stark reminder of just how unified we are as a nation, even when it doesn't seem that way.