Some reflections on the 25th anniversary of 9/11

I was in Manhattan on September 11. It changed my life. That was the day I, and so many others of my generation, decided to completely change our lives and sign up to serve our country. I’ve heard us referred to as “9-11 Babies”, given the surge of young people who signed up for the military, intelligence community, State Department and other national service.

I recently had the opportunity to take my nephew to the 9-11 Memorial and museum in New York. For the first time in a long time, I spent 3 straight hours thinking about 9-11, and telling someone who wasn’t yet born when it happened what it was like.

Here’s what I said. Today, you’ll see image after image of the towers coming down. The stories of tragedies and heroism fill up the room.

But whenever I think about that day, I try and focus on something else from the days and weeks afterwards:

The sense of unity across the country that emerged out of the rubble. The shared sense of purpose, unlike anything I have felt before or since. The gut-wrenching appreciation for the firefighters and civilians who sacrificed their lives trying to save others. And above all, the feeling that we as Americans were on the same team.

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We certainly weren’t perfect. In those early months, Muslims and immigrants were targeted. And the events of 9-11 kicked off an era of significant mistakes in wars far from home that we’re still grappling with today.

But that feeling of a shared bond among all Americans in the early weeks after the attack is something I’m so glad I got to experience. Because it’s the thing that I think we’re missing the most today.

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