I was five years old when 19 terrorists struck America at home. My classmates and I were less than a month into elementary school, yet we had no idea that our worlds were about to change forever. That’s because the father of one of the girls who sat next to me in class was Tom Burnett, who courageously fought back against the hijackers of Flight 93 and kept the plane from crashing into Washington, D.C.
The following day, our teacher broke the news to us. A few had heard about what happened to our classmate, but most of us did not understand. Although she put it as gingerly as possible, I remember a feeling of angst and unease for the first time in my life while we huddled around each other.
That fateful day was one that affected every single American personally on some level. While not everyone was directly affected by the loss of a loved one, we all felt a collective sense of sadness for what happened to our country. Seeing the look of utter loss on someone’s face at the age of five left an impression on me that has lasted to this day.
I can still recall growing up and feeling sadness whenever someone mentioned the subject. Even seeing it written somewhere was enough to make me consider the meaning of the event at a relatively young age. Over time, what began as a sense of loss and confusion has become a feeling of respect and reverence for those who lost their lives on that seemingly ordinary Tuesday morning.
[Opinion: What kids should know on 9/11]
I want to make it clear that my experience, and the similar experiences of so many others, are incomparable to the sense of loss that the families of those nearly 3,000 people feel to this day. And if we are to properly remember those who lost their lives, it’s imperative that we treat their memories with the respect they deserve.
In just a few years, it will have been two decades since the attacks. I hope that all Americans, no matter how they were affected by this tragedy, continue to teach future generations not only to Never Forget, but to never let this happen again.
Peter Van Voorhis (@RepublicanPeter) is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. He is a conservative activist, commentator, and journalist who focuses on political issues affecting millennials.
