Memorials, tributes ensure we truly never forget 9/11

The Twin Towers are shown Sept. 11, 2001, after a terrorist attack.

AP File Photos

It’s hard for those of us who remember exactly where we were on Sept. 11, 2001, to imagine that nearly 20 years have passed since that terrible day.

It’s even harder for those of us who mourned that day with families across the United States to imagine that for recent high school graduates, this is a day that only lives in the history books.

We want to thank the Poplar Bluff firefighters who will spend their Saturday morning recreating the 110-story climb made by New York firefighters into the towers to save lives.

We also want to thank the Qulin American Legion members who hosted a tribute this weekend.

It is local efforts like that which help ensure we truly never will forget.

Sept. 11, 2001, marked the single largest loss of life from a foreign attack on American soil, with nearly 3,000 people killed.

The memories that we share, and tributes that we hold, preserve the memory of that loss.

It was also a day in which Americans were more united than they have been for many of the years since.

Tragedy brought us together, and we emerged stronger in many ways, more grateful for the families and freedoms that we enjoy.

The lessons that we have learned since and the memories we preserve, help ensure this is a tragedy that does not happen again.

Thank you again to everyone who is part of that, from those who protect us, including the first responders and members of the military, to those who support their efforts.