People tend to remember where they were and what they were doing when major world events occur.
Where were you when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963?
What were you doing on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the moon?
On the morning of January 28, 1986 as I was driving to the University of South Florida, I saw the familiar glow of the space shuttle taking off in front of me. Yes, it was all the way across the state, but it was big enough and bright enough to see it from Tampa. But then something happened. It looked like the shuttle exploded. When I arrived at the campus, I found that I was right.
And what was happening in your world on September 11, 2001 when the United States was rocked to its core as 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing two of them into the World Trade Centers in New York, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth into a field in Pennsylvania. An estimated 3000 people lost their lives that day, and Americans would never be the same.
Twenty-one years have passed since that day. And while too many members of our younger generation have no idea about the significance of that day, we do.
We took a few hours and spent it at the 911 Memorial Museum today. And while I did not personally know anyone who perished that day, my heart and my soul were forever changed and will never forget.
This museum is an incredible place. One that every American should experience. And as our country becomes more and more politically divided, this memorial becomes more and more important. It solidifies the fact that we, Americans can come together. That we can love each other, support each other, and respect each other. No matter your stance on immigration, gun control, abortion, or marijuana, we are all Americans. We are all human beings. And we need to be there for each other. Just like we were on 911.