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I will never forget that day. I was in Syracuse, NY. That was 20 years ago. The war on terror continues. We must all remember.

Originally I was scheduled to fly on a flight out of Boston that morning. I had changed my plans to fly from Syracuse. We had a large meeting going on in our office. There was a TV in the meeting room. A colleague alerted me that I needed come in and see what was happening. We all gathered around the TV to see the towers fall and the Pentagon attacked.

We saw the second plane hit. I could not believe it. I think I went into shock. How could this be happening in our country. Reality sunk in. This was not an accident. Someone (we now know who) was attacking us.

We saw the people jumping to their death rather than suffer through the inferno. I cannot imagine. We saw the first tower collapse. Then the second. Unimaginable.

We saw both towers go down. We saw the devastation to the Pentagon. We heard of the flight going down in Pennsylvania. All in real time as it happened.

  • Each event was a blow to our gut.
  • Who could do this to us?
  • Why were we being attacked and Americans dying?
  • What was happening and what would be next?

It was horrible. We couldn’t make it stop. This was real and not a nightmare.

We had staff gathered from all over New York state. Some were from the NYC metro area. We sent everyone home to be with their families.

I just wanted to be close to my son and he came home from school early. I hugged him. We sat and watched TV for days until I just couldn’t stand it any more.

I will NEVER forget that day. It was September 11, 2001.

So … here we are on September 11, 2021 still fighting against the radical Islamist Jihad. Who would have thought. 20 years later and the Taliban is back in control in Afghanistan. They allowed Bin Ladden to plot our destruction out of Afghanistan. Will it happen again? Have we learned anything at all?

This documentary is worth looking at to remember. There is mostly only video with no commentary.

Here is a look at quotes, inspirations, more to remember Sept. 11 terrorist attacks:

“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.” – – Rudy Giuliani

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” – – Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl

“Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.” —President Barack Obama

“With almost no time to decide, [your loved ones] gave the entire country an incalculable gift. They saved the Capitol from attack. They saved God knows how many lives. They saved the terrorists from claiming the symbolic victory of smashing the center of American government. … They allowed us to survive as a country that could fight terror and still maintain liberty and still welcome people from all over the world from every religion and race and culture as long as they shared our values, because !ordinary people given no time at all to decide did the right thing.” – – President Bill Clinton in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in 2011

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.” — former President George W. Bush

“September 11 is one of our worst days but it brought out the best in us. It unified us as a country and showed our charitable instincts and reminded us of what we stood for and stand for.” — Senator Lamar Alexander

“September 11 was, and remains, above all an immense human tragedy. But September 11 also posed a momentous and deliberate challenge not just to America but to the world at large. The target of the terrorists was not only New York and Washington but the very values of freedom, tolerance and decency which underpin our way of life.”- – former British Prime Minister Tony Blair

“Remember the hours after September 11th when we came together as one to answer the attack against our homeland. We drew strength when our firefighters ran upstairs and risked their lives so that others might live; when rescuers rushed into smoke and fire at the Pentagon; when the men and women of Flight 93 sacrificed themselves to save our nation’s Capitol; when flags were hanging from front porches all across America, and strangers became friends. It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us.”– former Secretary of State John Kerry

Workers leave the World Trade Center in New York after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Remains of the World Trade Center after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Some key thoughts to remember:

  1. Islam is not a religion of peace
  2. Islam is remarkably different than Christianity and Judaism.
  3. Jihad is not a peaceful struggle. Jihad is war against us.
  4. Muslims want to live under Sharia law.
  5. America is not safe from Sharia law.
  6. The Caliphate is real and knocking at our door.
  7. Islam is not tolerant toward non-Muslims.
  8. Addressing side issues like poverty will not end terrorism. This is not a social problem.
  9. Critics of Islam are not bigots.
  10. Islam does not respect the rights of women.
  11. Iran cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.
  12. The Muslim Brotherhood is very extreme.
  13. Islam despises freedom of speech.