Twenty Years Since 9/11, What Have We Learned?
Scars still run deep.
Today is the 20th anniversary of September 11th (9/11). During that time, America invaded Afghanistan, killed Osama Bin Laden, and dismantled Al Qaeda. Also during that time, several thousand American soldiers, men, and women were injured or killed in Afghanistan. Their sacrifice should never be and will never be forgotten.
On September 11th, I worked at a consulting firm in Downtown Boston. I was an administrative assistant supporting a small office of consultants. Part of my job was booking travel for the consultants. One of our consultants was on her way to New York when the first plane struck the World Trade Center tower.
I remember the internet had been inundated with people searching the news for what happened in New York City. Eventually, the internet broke down from so many people being online. I remember trying to reach the consultant to see if she was ok. At first, I couldn’t get her on her cell phone. Cell phone service had also been affected by so many people making calls or sending texts. Finally, after several minutes, I was able to reach her. She was ok. She hadn’t left Logan Airport.
So many people lost their lives on September 11th. There were the passengers and crew on the planes. The office workers in the two towers. The first responders raced to the scene and entered the towers. They saved a lot of people trying to flee the towers. Many first responders lost their lives once the towers fell.
I remember watching the news coverage all afternoon and into the evening. I saw broadcasters break down on air as they reported the rising death tolls. People on television walked around the devastated remains of the twin towers with fear and shock on their faces. I couldn’t believe such an attack had been carried out. It felt surreal like a scene from a disaster movie.
America has been recovering from the disaster for twenty years. The towers in New York City were rebuilt and a monument to victims was placed on the site of the first towers. There are also monuments to victims in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. Their names are forever emblazoned on beautiful memorials gleaming under the sun.
We have left Afghanistan. President Biden ended the twenty-year war. The troops are home. However, about 100 Americans and thousands of Afghan supporters are still trapped in the Taliban — controlled country. Their departure from the country has been a slow one. Qatar Airlines has removed some Americans and Afghans via Kabul Airport. Others have managed to escape overland, crossing into friendlier countries. But still, many remain in Afghanistan, trying to leave.
What are the lessons from 9/11? What have we accomplished? American forces and their allies left the country. We don’t know if the Taliban will bring back Al Qaeda. Isis K, the enemy of the Taliban, has already made it known that they have chosen violence. They attacked the airport during evacuations, killing thirteen American soldiers, and many Afghan people.
If Biden wants to leave a legacy after his presidency, he must help those still in Aghanistation, enformed the Taliban that terrorist acts will not be accepted, and prepare countermeasures against Isis K and Al Qaeda. We don’t want another 9/11. The wounds from that attack have cut this country deeply. We are still healing and we are still angry.
