There are some events in history about which many Americans remember vividly “where we were” when we first learned of those events.
Those who are old enough can almost certainly say where they were when they heard the shocking reports that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, thrusting the United States into World War II.
Many recall where they were when the horrible news came that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.
Fewer – though still many – recall their whereabouts when the space shuttle Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986.
In more recent years, no event is as vividly recalled by the American people as the radical Muslim terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Tens of millions of Americans in the Eastern part of the country were already at work or in school that late-summer morning. Millions on the West Coast were just waking up.
Nineteen Middle Eastern terrorists – most of them educated and from relatively privileged backgrounds in Saudi Arabia – hijacked four commercial jet airliners.
They plunged two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Both buildings collapsed. Many innocent Americans – including heroic fire, police and other emergency workers – perished, though many thankfully escaped.
A third hijacked airliner struck the Pentagon outside Washington, killing more innocent people in the plane and at the Pentagon, where our national defense policies are devised and put into action.
In the fourth aircraft, passengers learned what was going on in New York and Washington, and they valiantly brought down the plane in rural Pennsylvania before it could become yet another missile aimed at a major population center or, perhaps, the U.S. Capitol. It is impossible to know how many lives those passengers saved, at the cost of their own.
All told, nearly 3,000 innocent people died on 9/11, and the United States moved rapidly to respond militarily against the terrorists.
We and our allies invaded Afghanistan, whose vicious Taliban regime had harbored chief 9/11 terrorist Osama bin Laden, and we toppled the Taliban. Our troops remain engaged in Afghanistan today, with no clear end in sight but no easy way to leave without inviting worse consequences.
Soon there followed a war to remove Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who was believed by leaders of both major American political parties to possess or to be producing weapons of mass destruction.
The WMD reports appear to have been incorrect, but Saddam was removed from power and Iraq does now have democratic elections that it was denied under Saddam. President Barack Obama recently removed all but about 50,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. They are remaining behind in a primarily “advisory” role to Iraqi forces who still must deal with terrorist attacks.
Worldwide, serious terrorist threats remain. There have been unconfirmed reports that Osama bin Laden has died, but he may still be on the loose in Afghanistan or in nearby regions of Pakistan. At any rate, many other fanatics share his views and are eager to carry out his wishes.
Fortunately, by going on the offensive, the United States has avoided further major terrorist attacks on our soil in the nine years since 9/11.
Families and friends of the 9/11 victims are no doubt still grieving their loss. We must remain vigilant as a nation to reduce the chance that terrorists will have the opportunity to create still more U.S. victims.