25 years ago, our world changed forever. Radical Muslim terrorists hijacked four airplanes, crashing them into the two towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. 2,977 people were killed in the worst terror attack in American history.
For the victims and their families, it was a shocking tragedy. Men and women just going about their day had their lives ended in an instant. First responders charged bravely into danger, and many never came out of those hellish places.
There are countless stories of heroism and sacrifice from that awful day.
Rick Rescorla was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War who took a job as a security consultant at the World Trade Center following the attempted truck bombing in 1993. He drew up escape plans, conducted drills, and did everything he could to prepare employees for an emergency. He spent the morning of September 11 guiding men and women to safety, going back time and again to find more survivors. He was never seen again following the collapse of the South Tower.
Todd Beamer was a 32-year-old account manager at Oracle and was flying cross-country on the morning of September 11. Terrorists hijacked his plane, most likely planning to fly it into the Capitol or the White House in Washington, D.C. By then, passengers aboard United Flight 93 knew what had happened in New York and were determined to thwart the plan. With a cry of “Let’s roll,” Beamer and other passengers fought the terrorists, and the plane crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania.
24-year-old Welles Crowther was working on the 104th floor of the South Tower as an equities trader. His experience as a volunteer firefighter gave him the confidence to lead survivors to safety after the plane hit, giving first aid and even carrying injured people down endless flights of stairs. He kept going back to find more people and was still inside when the tower collapsed. This week, President Trump honored Crowther with a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The perpetrators of this atrocity were acting in the name of an ideology that seeks to conquer the world at the end of a sword. Yet the actions of heroes like Rick Rescorla, Todd Beamer, and Welles Crowther are proof that love can conquer hate. This week, we remember another young man who was killed in the name of hate. Charlie Kirk spent his life boldly speaking the truth and inspiring young people to love their country, their families, and their God. He, too, must not be forgotten.
On this 25th anniversary of 9/11, let us recommit ourselves to building a nation worthy of the heroes who gave their lives for others, a country where love will never give in to hate.
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