Where were you when you heard the news about the first plane hitting the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001? Most adults over the age of 30 vividly remember where they were and what they were doing when the terrorist attacks happened.
In watching the haunting scenes from Sept. 11 on the History Channel, I was reminded that we, as Americans, vowed never to forget the tragedy, especially the loss of life, that happened that day.
Eighteen years later, it appears we have forgotten. Many young people have no idea what happened the day the terrorists deliberately crashed airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We don't know the exact target the fourth airliner was to crash into in Washington, D.C.; however, at the cost of their own lives, the heroes of Flight 93 thwarted the terrorists and forced the plane down in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
True American patriots ran into the middle of tragedy and burning buildings to save those trapped by the fires brought on by these attacks. Among our real heroes were the men and women of the New York fire and police departments, as well as the emergency personnel in Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.
We had patriotism and unity in the weeks and months after the horrific attack on our country. But as the years have passed, our memories have faded, we have become complacent and our unity is no more.
One of the recommendations from the 9/11 Commission was to send back home all of those students and visitors who had overstayed their visas. Eighteen years later, we still have hundreds of thousands of people who have expired visas and we haven't enforced our laws.
The reports vary on the 19 hijackers, but most say that five to seven of them had expired visas. We also aren't doing a good job of checking to see if those illegally entering the country have ties to terrorism. Why not?
If you haven't seen the 9/11 pictures for a while, take a look at them. We lost 2,977 American citizens in that terrifying attack. Furthermore, we have lost hundreds more over the years from complications of breathing in the hazardous chemicals released. Look at the pictures of people running for their lives as the first tower imploded.
Why hasn't the government done more to make the United States secure? We endure embarrassing pat downs, naked body scans and so on at the airports and train stations and just ignore those who have overstayed their welcome.
We need to urge our elected representatives to do what is necessary to preserve our freedoms. We also need the unity we experienced after 9/11, where we all loved our country and each other.
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: We said we'd never forget 9/11, but have we?