Remembering September 11 in 2013

It's September again. Another year has passed since we last observed the anniversary of September 11, 2001. It's been twelve years now, and this year we now have two events to remember- the terrorist attacks of twelve years ago that shook our nation to its core, and the terrorist attack of just one year ago that took place in Benghazi, which claimed the lives of four Americans, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya. Today, we honor the memories of the 3,000 who lost their lives, the more than 6,000 injured, the thousands of firefighters, police officers, EMT's and volunteers from around the country. We honor the fallen, the brave, those who sacrificed themselves to save countless more. From the World Trade Center, to the Pentagon, to the flight 93 crash in Pennsylvania, we must remember and never forget. We must also never forget Ambassador Chris Stevens, Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, and Sean Smith, who lost their lives when a group of terrorists stormed our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya last year looking to kill Americans. In spite of the politics and the spin, we must never forget these men either. That was and is our pledge, to NEVER forget.

There are many lessons to be learned from these events, but I believe the most significant lesson to be learned is that the freedom you and I enjoy, and so often take for granted, is most certainly not free. It requires constant vigilance. History has attempted to teach us this truth over and over again since America's inception. Each attack, each war, each military action or troop commitment has given us short bursts of enlightenment during which we become intensely aware of the fragility of freedom. It revitalizes our sense of patriotism (for most of us), and renews our dedication to protecting our liberty. But each time history jolts us back to reality, we inevitably wade back into naivete. We begin to lull back into a false sense of security, and convince ourselves that "it certainly can't happen again". As a nation, we lose our commitment to constant vigilance every time. Sometimes over the course of many years, and sometimes within mere weeks, but it always happens just the same. Each time we forget, we give our enemies a chance to deal yet another blow to our ever delicate freedom. We must learn and never forget that in the world in which we live, there are always people biding their time, waiting for us to let our guard down. These people are steadfast in their hatred, and absolute in their goals. They want us gone, and they will do whatever they must to attain that end. Terrorists are not interested in diplomacy, and we do not negotiate with terrorists. We must exceed their resolve with our own, the resolve to endure and be free. Any elected official who is naive enough to believe negotiation will rid the world of evil is a threat to our national security. If you don't believe that, just look at the results of America's foreign policy over the last five years. Presuming that we are immune to attack and that diplomacy will solve all emboldens our enemies and leads to attacks. We saw it twelve years ago, and we saw it again twelve months ago.

As long as we keep electing leaders who believe that terrorists are open to diplomacy, we will continue to run the risk of being attacked again. America is neither feared nor respected by her enemies, and it shows. It was evidenced in the attack in Benghazi, and it is certainly evident now with regards to Syria. We've lost our way because we stopped looking at freedom as sacred and worth protecting. At some point we started viewing the protection of our freedom as offensive, and at times even egregious. We have to change this. Every time we pursue appeasing or apologetic, "non offensive" foreign policy changes, we dishonor those who've lost their lives in the wake of past appeasement and/or ignorance. Those people did not die so that politicians could disgrace them by negotiating with the sociopathic, psychotic extremists who murdered them. Our priorities must change. We need to stop aiming for political legacy and return to common sense. You cannot negotiate with someone whose stated purpose in life is to eradicate all trace of your way of life- Period.

I was 13 when the blissful ignorance of my childhood was ripped away from me on that September morning. I knew nothing of the world. I was watching the news in class and didn't know why. And then I watched as a plane crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. I saw that happen live, and the image is just as clear for me today as it was then, as I'm sure it is for many of you. That was all I needed to see to learn how truly fragile life and liberty really are. I have never forgotten that lesson. I know that no one who lost a friend or loved one on September 11, 2001 has forgotten that lesson. I know that many of us have not forgotten the men lost just one year ago, and that we're fighting every day to bring about justice and honor the memories of the fallen. We have to instill that sentiment in the overwhelming majority of Americans. We must instill a sense of duty among all Americans to honor those we've lost and to never forget what happened.

I'm not looking to instigate political battles over who is to blame for what. That's not the purpose, not today. I simply want each and every American to recognize and understand that our freedom is always susceptible to attack, and that constant vigilance is required if we are to endure. Before we can have effective, constant vigilance, we must accept the reality of the adamant resolve of those who want us and all we stand for eradicated. Before we can commit to a lasting understanding of the enemy's thirst for our demise, we must make good on a promise we all made to the victims of September 11- NEVER forget.

To each and every victim of the attacks of September 11, 2001, as well as the victims of September 11, 2012, to the loved ones and every person touched by these tragedies, we salute you, and we remember you always. I believe I speak for many Americans when I say, with God as my witness, I will NEVER forget...