Recent news coverage has focused on whether older politicians should step aside for a younger generation of leaders. The focus is on cognitive health – “frozen pauses” when speaking, forgetfulness, slower response times and other signs that may indicate cognitive decline.

Yet, when it comes to fading memories, perhaps it is the younger generation we need to remind that some things are not meant to be forgotten and when passing the torch of leadership, it also means passing the responsibility to uphold promises of the past.

It has been 22 years since the airplanes hit the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. September 11, 2001 is still imprinted on my brain in full emotional clarity. Most adults over age 40 remember where they were that day, similar to how older generations remembered the day President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. were shot or when Pearl Harbor was attacked. I was in Chicago with work colleagues preparing for a sales meeting. We all watched the TV news in horror as the second plane hit the second tower of the World Trade Center in New York. Then the Pentagon seemed to explode on one side of its powerful five-sided building. And finally, the tragic crash of United 93 where everyday brave men and women became the first corps of resistance in the war on terror. 

We knew terrorism had come to our shores instead of some far-off land. It landed on us with the roar of the towers disintegrating before our eyes – our “safe spaces” – which in those days meant our homes, our workplaces, our streets – would never be the same. And it was personal for many of us. As we sat transfixed by the news, we realized one of my work colleagues with us that day had a fiancé in Tower 2. I will never forget her cries, almost guttural, from the depth of her soul, as she collapsed on the floor like a rag doll synchronized with the fall of the second tower. His remains have never been found.

The oath that first responders gave to our nation on September 11 to leave no one behind, to rescue and recover anyone attacked is one of those sacred promises for which the rest of us are forever indebted. The words of honor to leave no person or fellow warfighter behind and fight for freedom for all, is the sacred promise our military men and women make and uphold every day. As a nation we pledged to “never forget.”

Promises Kept, But the Funerals for 9/11 Victims are Not Over

Twenty-two years ago, 2,977 people died in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. According to the Sept 11^th Victim Compensation Fund, more first responders have died since that day than died on that day. They have cancers, respiratory diseases, severe gastrointestinal issues and yes – some of them have early signs of Alzheimer’s. More than 71,000 people are currently enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry, a long-term study that is researching the physical and mental health effects of the terror attacks on first responders, law enforcement and intelligence officers, and office workers at Ground Zero that day.

I’m grateful for the signing of the “Never Forget the Heroes, James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act” in July 2019, that fully funded the VCF to pay all eligible claims and extended the claim filing deadline to October 1, 2090.

However, gratitude is not enough. We must remember Sept 11^th so it never happens again. Previous generations vowed to never forget the Pearl Harbor attacks. Yet 83 years later, those who lived through that “day of infamy” are mostly gone and the promise to never forget and to never let America be attacked again echo in the halls of Washington D.C. where complacency, bureaucracy and political leadership forgetfulness of December 7, 1941 led to September 11, 2001.

I Use My “Pen” To Help Us Never Forget

Let this be the lesson from these tragedies. No matter how hard we are hit, we get off the mat. No matter how much they shake our faith, we still believe. No matter how much they try to divide us, we come together even stronger. But we also need to “Never Forget” so we can avoid these horrific events all together.

It is for this reason that I am dedicated to writing about the everyday heroes of 9/11. The first responders and their family and professional caregivers. The military men and women who protect our freedoms.

A few of the articles I have written for PBS Next Avenue are below. The aftermath of 9/11 is still with me even 22 years later. I was honored to talk to these heroes and their family caregivers and the health care workers and organizations that support them.

These articles are part of my sacred promise, “I Never Will Forget.”

New Studies Find 9/11 First Responders Have Increased Dementia Risk (9.11.20)

Caring for 9/11’s Rescue Workers 15 Years Later (PBS 9.11.16)

©2023 Sherri Snelling