Renew this Patriot Day vow: We will never forget 9/11

A lot has changed in our nation and world since the al-Qaida terrorist group savagely attacked the United States 13 years ago today, killing 3,000 innocent men, women and children in a series of coordinated hijacking assaults. Since that darkest day of this century for our nation, the U.S. has responded vigorously and appropriately.

We’ve greatly strengthened our intelligence-gathering, we’ve implemented a wealth of proactive protections, we’ve led the fight in two wars on terror and we’ve succeeded in lessening the threat of al-Qaida by killing its demented leader Osama bin Laden. As a result, numerous attempted acts of mass terror have been thwarted and nothing remotely approaching the horrors of 9/11 have recurred.

But for all that has changed to make us safer and more secure, sadly much remains the same. The threat of destructive terror targeted squarely on America remains all too real.

Just last night, President Barack Obama appealed to the nation for unity in a new fight against a new terror enemy that bills itself as the more aggressive big brother of al-Qaida. That enemy is the Islamic State — alternately known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or in government jargon, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

It’s clear the terrorist threat on our homeland remains a clear and present danger. As flags fly at half-staff throughout the nation to mark Patriot Day today, it is a time to remember the horrors, honor the fallen and renew our collective vow to never, ever, let the atrocities of 9/11 revisit America.

As authorized by congressional action and as decreed by each president since 2002, Patriot Day and the National Day of Service and Remembrance is observed every Sept. 11, just as Pearl Harbor Day is observed every Dec. 7.

It is a day to remember those who gave their lives in the bull’s-eye of a maddened terror group. It is a day to remember the hundreds of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians and other first responders who worked to minimize deaths and injuries from the cataclysmic chain of events of that surreal day. Many died in the process of doing so.

In that spirit, we urge thousands to gather at 6 p.m. today at the Mahoning Valley 9/11 Memorial Park on South Raccoon Road in Austintown. Plans include display of a firetruck actively involved in New York City’s 9/11 response team, speeches, color-guard ceremonies and artifacts — including ripped-out chunks of the World Trade Center — on public display.

A DAY TO SERVE AMERICA

But in addition to remembering the fallen, Patriot Day is also a day to actively engage in public service and prove to the world that terrorists can never succeed in crushing the can-do American spirit. In the Mahoning Valley, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Columbiana County is actively taking part in the official nationally organized service with the 9/11 Build Day. It begins on 223 W. Pershing St. in Salem at 8 a.m. and continues all day long; volunteers are actively sought to construct two homes in the city for the less fortunate. Others wishing to give service can donate time, talents and dollars to any of dozens of nonprofit service causes throughout our region.

It is also a day to put aside political squabbling to unite as one strong patriotic unit in celebration of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Such resolve arguably is needed now more than ever in the 238-year history of our country.