The freedom-loving world will remember the events of September 11, 2001 with tears, sadness and a fervent determination to crush the enemies of liberty. The terrorist perpetrators will remember September 11, 2001 as the beginning of their global eradication. Al-Qaeda’s dream attack on America played out as nothing less than their worst nightmare come true. In the words of our President, “We have not forgotten the victims of September the 11th: the last phone calls, the cold murder of children, the searches in the rubble. With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States. And war is what they got.”
September 11 was merely considered a pawn move in the larger plot of converting America into an Islamic fundamentalist nation. An attack intended to demoralize America and crush its spirit uplifted it to heights not seen since WWII. An attack intended to make America appear weak in its defense of freedom and civilization bolstered our resolve to seek out and destroy all threats to it. More than half of Al-Qaeda’s senior leadership and over 3,000 terrorists have faced death or currently assist the U.S. in unraveling future plots. Ninety nations now accept their duty of crushing the evil plague of terrorism that has sickened our world.
And from the ruins of the Twin Towers, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania emerged the accounts of selfless heroes who died before they had to so others would live. America must never forget Todd Beamer and the passengers of Flight 93 who saved our Capital Building or White House by bringing down their plane in that Pennsylvania field. America must never forget the 418 uniformed police and firemen who received their last rights and charged into an almost certain death so 25,000 could evacuate the towers. America must never forget the bravery of countless non-uniformed citizens who sacrificed their lives by allowing others to evacuate the towers before themselves. America should look upon these individuals as true role models and heroes of our nation.
America cannot risk calmly sitting back and naively hoping that attacks of September 11th’s magnitude or greater will never again occur. The Bush Administration’s policy of proactively and preemptively hunting down terrorists and disarming state sponsors of terrorism must continue to ensure life and liberty for all Americans. We as Americans owe it to ancestors (who sacrificed for our economic and political freedom), ourselves and future generations to do everything possible to preserve the liberty so easily taken for granted. Nothing will slow the steady proliferation of democratic ideals throughout the globe. No one person or thing can defeat the inalienable, God-given rights and desires of self-determination and freedom.
Pete Trombadore can be contacted at petetrombadore@hotmail.com.