September 11, 2001: 25 Years Later, We Remember

Twenty-five years ago today, our country changed forever.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in New York City, at the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Thousands more were injured, and countless families, friends, coworkers, and communities were forever changed.

Today, we remember them.

We remember the people who went to work that morning and never came home. We remember the passengers and flight crews. We remember the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, military personnel, and other first responders who ran toward danger when every instinct told others to run away.

We also remember the many who survived that day but carried its physical and emotional effects with them for years afterward, including the responders and recovery workers who became sick or lost their lives because of their service at Ground Zero and the other attack sites.

We Remember What Happened After

September 11 showed us the very worst of what human beings are capable of doing to one another.

But in the hours, days, and weeks that followed, Americans also showed one another something very different.

People helped strangers. Neighbors checked on neighbors. Communities gathered together. Blood donation centers filled. Volunteers traveled from across the country to help. First responders worked alongside construction workers, tradespeople, equipment operators, medical professionals, clergy, volunteers, and countless others.

For a time, many of the things that normally divided us seemed far less important than the things we shared.

We were Americans. We were hurting. And we stood together.

Twenty-five years later, that sense of unity is worth remembering too.

A Generation Later

A quarter century is a long time.

There are now millions of Americans who were not yet born on September 11, 2001. Others were too young to remember where they were when the news broke.

For those of us who do remember, the images, the confusion, the fear, and the overwhelming sadness of that day can still feel remarkably close.

That makes remembrance important.

September 11 is not simply a date in a history book. Behind every number was a person. Behind every person was a family, a circle of friends, coworkers, and a community that had to learn how to move forward without them.

Their stories deserve to be remembered.

So do the courage, compassion, sacrifice, and humanity demonstrated by ordinary people during an extraordinary moment in our nation's history.

Never Forget

Today, on the 25th anniversary of September 11, we pause to remember those who were lost, those who responded, those who served, and those whose lives were forever changed.

We honor their memory not only by looking back at what happened, but by remembering what Americans showed one another afterward: compassion for strangers, respect for those who serve, gratitude for the people beside us, and a willingness to come together when it mattered most.

Twenty-five years later, those lessons still matter.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget.

From all of us at Water Extraction Team (WET) and Property Solutions Team (PST), we join our communities and our nation in remembering September 11, 2001.