May yesteryear's pain inspire us now

What a difference 20 years can make.

Two decades ago tomorrow, our nation was under attack from a lethal foreign force. United, we pulled together.

Today, our nation is under attack from another lethal foreign force. But instead of terrorists hijacking jets and using them as deadly weapons, this invasion is a virus, and in its body-strewn path we are divided, split painfully apart.

Clearly, much has changed in the 20 years since 9/11/01. Maybe the unity we found back then, one that instantly transcended political partisanship and religious differences and social status, can never be recaptured. But we can hope. And while many of us can remember, keep in mind that millions of citizens weren’t alive when 9/11 happened. Others have largely forgotten.

Any attempt to recover what was lost should start with an accurate history lesson. We highly recommend a trip to the 9/11 Museum in New York City, either in person or digitally.

The website 9/11memorial.org offers lots of strong content for teachers and students, including virtual field trips and Ask an Educator sessions. For those who have the time and resources to actually visit the museum and memorial, it’s highly recommended — but know that vaccines are required for those 12 and over.

For those interested in a deep look at what happened 20 years ago and its aftermath from a societal perspective, Pew Research Center offers an extraordinary and timely overview of that fateful day and the years following.

Called “Two Decades Later, the Enduring Legacy of 9/11,” the report (https://pewrsr.ch/2X4PQWt) opens:

“Americans watched in horror as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, left nearly 3,000 people dead in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 20 years later, they watched in sorrow as the nation’s military mission in Afghanistan — which began less than a month after 9/11 — came to a bloody and chaotic conclusion …

“A review of U.S. public opinion in the two decades since 9/11 reveals how a badly shaken nation came together, briefly, in a spirit of sadness and patriotism; how the public initially rallied behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, though support waned over time; and how Americans viewed the threat of terrorism at home and the steps the government took to combat it.”

We commend both the museum site and the Pew Research article not just for important review — we must, after all, never forget — but perhaps to rekindle the spirit that brought us together all those years ago.