Today marks the 16th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. On that day, the day that truly lives in modern-day infamy, 2,977 innocent people were killed due to a coordinated, terrorist attack by Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda jihadists. While it’s tempting and certainly easier to overlook this anniversary as just another day on the calendar, that’s not what Americans should do. We should let ourselves get a little lost in that day’s events, relive what happened, and remember what makes this country special. Only in doing that can we truly honor the innocent, the armed forces, and continue to try to prevent terrorism.

Everyone always asks, “Where were you on 9/11?” as if that somehow matters. Here’s a thought: Unless you were in Manhattan, it doesn’t matter where you were the day terrorists hit the heart of this country’s financial district with the sole purpose of murdering innocent people and striking fear into anyone else who survived. What matters is that the rest of us who lived on remember those who died, honor the heroes who rescued so many, and continue to respect the emergency personnel and members of armed forces who answered the call to defend this country after those awful attacks.