Remembering to stand together

Tuesday marks the 17th anniversary of one of the most horrific attacks on U.S. soil, a day that will forever stir memories and emotions when someone mentions the date — 9/11.

It’s weird to think that many of our high school upperclassmen weren’t even born when the news came over of the planes striking the two towers of the World Trade Center, only learning of it through textbooks and what their parents have told them.

Though a time of extreme fear for our country, it was also a period when we came together as a country and rallied against terrorism. But, 17 years is a long time and in that span our country has become more and more divided in just about everything, from politics, to law enforcement, to even the kind of clothes we wear.

With all the controversy surrounding politics — personal and national — particularly in an election year, I think it’s time to revive that idea of standing together.

This Tuesday, take some time to remember — if you were alive then — what you felt when you heard of the World Trade Center incident, as well as our response as a country. It was a time of helping others, whether strangers or friends, of making phone calls to loved ones and holding those who were having trouble understanding what was happening. And it was a time where we showed what we can do when we come together.

So, for a moment or hopefully the whole day, let’s drop the arguments over who belongs in local and national seats, what teams we’ll support based on how they choose to honor the Flag during the National Anthem and what clothes we’re going to wear or burn. Let’s remember and honor our fallen, and take an important step toward reuniting as a town, if not a nation.