For most anyone who was an adult on Sept. 11, 2001, the day is somewhat etched into our memories forever. We remember where we were when we heard the news or what we were doing when we watched in horrified silence as the World Trade Center towers fell.

Without question, the terrorist hijackings of four airplanes and the subsequent attacks personify one of the most tragic days in our nation’s history, taking the lives of 2,977 Americans and the lives of so many more.

We heard over and over again how this event changed the world.

Now, 13 years later, I have to wonder: Did it really?

It certainly had a personal impact on me as a young journalist. The ramifications of the attack are still felt in the heightened security at airports, the growth of Homeland Security agency of the government and lingering impact it had our economy. However, when it comes to us as Americans and our culture as a country, I’m not sure the impact is quite as profound as we like to proclaim.

And that saddens me.

In the days immediately following 9/11 our nation was more united than it had been in decades. Patriotism surged. Pride in our country and love for our neighbors reached perhaps the greatest levels since World War II. Support for law enforcement, firefighters and others was at all-time highs. President George W. Bush had a 90 percent approval rating and our government was no longer made up of representatives of blue states and red states, simply of Americans.

All that has diminished significantly.

Bush left office with an approval rating in the teens. Partisanship in Washington, D.C. has reached ridiculous levels causing the federal government to nearly grind to a halt multiple times in recent years with more battles looming on the horizon. Patriotism seems to mostly pop up around the holidays where people get time off work. The support for police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders has diminished greatly, as evidenced by some of the ongoing strife across the country and the struggles these departments have faced to remain adequately funded.

Some of this is simply human nature and the fact the old adage that “time heals all wounds” holds true in many cases.

On this anniversary I’m challenging myself — and I’d like to see others do the same — to really think about what the 9/11 attacks meant and hone in on that pride we felt afterwards.

We say we will never forget this important moment in our great nation’s history, but it is important that we also truly remember it.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.