Let’s renew spirit of unity on 9 /11 In trying political times, Americans came together after the horrific terrorist attacks 19 years ago today.

It’s hard to believe that we’re approaching two decades since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, shook our nation to its core. That milestone arrives in just one year.

For those who lived through that horrible day and the agonizing period that followed, the memories remain fresh and painful even after 19 years.

One shocking development followed another on that terrible Tuesday. One hijacked plane struck one of the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center. Then the other was hit. Another plane struck the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C. And eventually we learned about the plane that crashed in a field in Somerset County, diverted from its presumed Washington target by heroic passengers.

It’s still painful to discuss, but it’s essential to do so. Today’s students and young adults have no memory of 9/11 other than what is taught to them by those who lived through it.

And teach them we must, on the anniversary of the attacks and any other time the opportunity arises. It’s impossible to fully convey the feelings our memories of 9/11 elicit, but it’s imperative that we keep trying so that future generations never forget.

It wasn’t just the day itself that lingers in our memories. For months Americans endured day after day of agonizing news. There was the epic cleanup at the World Trade Center site and the agonizing period of uncertainty for people waiting to learn the fate of loved ones. Story after story emerged of victims, most of them ordinary folks just going about their business, now having left devastated families behind.

We also learned of great heroism on the part of so many people, particularly the first responders who rushed into scenes of devastation despite the overwhelming risk of death or severe injury. Sharing that part of the story is as important as describing the unspeakable horror of that time.

And we all need a reminder of the spirit of unity and cooperation that took hold in America after the attacks.

Remember that this was hardly a period of political harmony. The nation had just gone through a tumultuous period of political conflict, including the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. There were still very hard feelings over the outcome of the 2000 presidential election, which had to be decided in court. But for quite a while after Sept. 11, all that was put aside, and flag-waving became very much in fashion among Republicans, Democrats and just about everyone in between.

That didn’t last, of course. America soon found itself back on a seemingly inexorable path to polarization.

It’s particularly sad to note that even a deadly pandemic hasn’t been enough to bring us back together, even temporarily. COVID-19 has killed far, far more Americans than the 9/11 attacks, yet disputes over the response to the crisis have only driven us further apart.

Today let’s reflect on the 9/11 anniversary and treat it as an opportunity to think of one another as fellow citizens rather than members of one political side or another.

At a time when there won’t be as many ceremonies marking 9/11 due to pandemic-related restrictions, it’s important that people find ways to mark the occasion on their own. We can’t think of a better way than to work to rekindle the American spirit that sustained us in those last months of 2001.

Pushing against current trends by striving toward greater unity would be a most appropriate tribute to the thousands whose lives were cut short on that fateful day 19 years ago. May they be remembered today and every day for generations to come.

Let’s mark this occasion by working to rekindle the American spirit of unity that sustained us in those last months of 2001.