History

16th Anniversary of 9/11: A Day We Will Never Forget

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Tony Maples Photography

 

September 11, 2017, marks the 16th anniversary of a day in history we will never forget. The day that changed America as we know it. As we stop and reflect on the events that occurred on this day, we remember the countless people that lost their lives and the volunteers who worked tirelessly to save so many on that fateful day.

Over 3,000 lives were lost during these horrific attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center, The Pentagon in Washington, D.C, and a field near Shanksville, Penn. We also will never forget those that died on the hijacked planes that slammed into these areas. “It was the deadliest terror attack on American soil,” stated an article by nbcnews.com 

Perhaps, one of the most honest and true statements about September 11, 2001, is described in an article by nbcnews.com. “It doesn’t get easier. The grief never goes away. You don’t move forward — it always stays with you,” Tom Acquaviva, of Wayne, New Jersey, who lost his son Paul Acquaviva, said at the annual 9/11 memorial service at Ground Zero in New York.”

Over a decade later, the wounds and memories of that catastrophic day remain vividly with many who tragically lost a loved one that day, and many who experienced the horror themselves and on television. “There’s an unreality. There’s a feeling you can’t accept what happened because you have no tangible truth of what happened,” said Sally Regenhard, who doesn’t have a grave to visit because the remains of her son Christian Regenhard, were never recovered. “It’s a pain in your heart that you constantly live with,” she said in an article by nbcnews.com

Upon visiting the site of the attacks now stands a 911 Memorial and Museum to honor those victims of that fateful day. “It displays monumental artifacts linked to the events of 9/11, while presenting intimate stories of loss, compassion, reckoning, and recovery that are central to telling the story of the 2001 and 1993 attacks and the aftermath,” shares its Facebook page.

In the days, months, years and decade that has followed one thing remains the same, the resilience of this country, and the hope and strength of those in our communities who continue to seek the assistance and aid needed by so many still struggling with health issues developed from toxins they were exposed to. “Many, like Sal Turturici, will never recover. As of June 30, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s World Trade Center Health Program had enrolled more than 5,400 people diagnosed with cancers linked to 9/11, according to statistics released by the CDC,” shared nbcnews.com

Do you remember where you were on the day the world changed for us all? We will never forget, and we will always remember the courage of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.