Twenty-five years ago, America watched in horror as the Twin Towers, once symbols of hope, freedom and American innovation, came crumbling down into rubble and despair. The Pentagon, a symbol of fortitude and strength, was breached. And Flight 93, where heroic Americans stormed the cockpit and overtook the hijackers, crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania.
What began as a normal, peaceful September morning became a war zone in a matter of hours.
Four planes were hijacked. 2,977 innocent people were murdered. Families lost mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. First responders ran toward danger, many never making it home. And America would never be the same. All that the hands of radical Islamists,
The vow to “Never Forget” is slowly being erased. For a generation of Americans born after September 11, 2001, the attacks are increasingly something they know only from history books, photographs and stories told by others.
We cannot allow that history to be rewritten or whitewashed.
America was attacked by radical Islamic terrorists who sought to destroy the West and the freedoms, principles and values that define our nation. The terrorists did not attack us randomly. They attacked us because of who we are and because of the freedoms and values we hold dear.
That is why Young America’s Foundation is once again mobilizing students across the country through the 9/11: Never Forget Project, the largest nationwide conservative initiative dedicated to honoring the victims of September 11 and ensuring their sacrifice is never forgotten.
The project began in 2003 which has resulted in more than 14.7 million flags being planted across the country. This project is meant to honor those we lost on September 11 and educate students and the public about what happened that day.
But since its founding, the 9/11: Never Forget Project has taken on a life of its own.
What began as an effort by Young America’s Foundation has grown into a movement led by students who understand that remembering September 11 is about more than looking back. It is about teaching the next generation the truth about what happened and why.
Year after year, students across the country have taken part through American flag displays, moments of silence, educational events and other activities designed to ensure that the victims of September 11 are remembered not simply as names in a history book, but as Americans whose lives were stolen by an enemy determined to destroy our way of life, and break the American spirit.
This year, on the 25th anniversary of September 11, that mission matters more than ever.
Twenty-five years later, Young America’s Foundation and thousands of students across the country are making a simple promise: We will remember what happened. We will remember who we lost. We will teach the next generation the truth.
And above all, we will never forget.
