Today is the 10th Anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, attacks that resulted in an attack on the Pentagon, the downing of Flight 93, and the collapsoe of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center.  It is an event similar to the events at Pearl Harbor, but more horrific in that the events were directed at non-combatants, ordinary citizens who were unaware a war had been declared upon them.  A war that was unleashed in response by the angry citizens of a country in grief, a war on terror.  And the victims were not solely Americans, but were of many faiths, races, and nationalities.

But if we are to property remember the victims lost on that day, we must remember that the lesson is not necessarily that we need only declare war on enemies abroad, but also the enemy within ourselves.  Because the events of 9/11 were the result of ignorance, the ignorance of men and women who believed they were serving a greater purpose for their god through killing.

And in recognizing that, we must never allow ourselves to walk that same path, to allow ignorance to blind us and guide us in our actions and/or through violence to hurt others, physically or verbally, because of their beliefs or because they are different.  It is often forgotten that the other innocent victims of 9/11 are the American Muslims (and in many cases, Sikhs in the Indian American communities, who were targeted because of their turbans), who suffered through 9/11 as the targets of anger for crimes committed by those who dishonored their religion.

In the end, many of them have demonstrated their loyalty and love for this country through military service abroad fighting our enemies, helping to dig out survivors at Ground Zero, and who have remained supportive of our mission to combat terrorism.  Many have died in support of our war on terror.  And we must not forget those who serve with American soldiers abroad, as guides, interpreters, and do so under the threat of death towards themselves and their families, because they also abhor the actions of the terrorists.

To all who have lost someone, know someone who has lost someone, or were witness to the horrific tragedy of 9/11, may we never forget those events, and live in remembrance of the victims, and the brave policemen, firefighters, and ordinary citizens who sacrificed themselves unselfishly in the effort to rescue them.

In recognition of those lost, those who survive and continue to grief, and those who continue to fight the wars against those who perpetuated this violence, I offer this quote from Abraham Lincoln, which he delivered in his second inaugural speech, which truly sums up the strength and resolve of the greatest nation on earth:

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”