Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001? Class, work, at home with your family? Some of us were school children, too young to fully understand the atrocity of the event. Others tried to cope with the shock of such a catastrophe. Some of us had family and friends living in New York or working in the towers. Others had loved ones working as emergency responders and in the armed forces. Each of us has our own memory of the day, and our own way of remembering it. 

Today, we at the Lanthorn encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the implications of 9/11, to say thank you to the men and women who risked their lives responding to the disaster and to pay respect to those who lost their lives. It may be difficult for some current GVSU students to remember the fear for our loved ones that all Americans felt in 2001. After all, many college students were in elementary school. The class of 2018 was in kindergarten. Take a moment to tell your family you love them, in memory of those who cannot tell those loved ones they lost 13 years ago.

There is now less being done to remember those who lost their lives as time passes. But it is important to not forget, as terrorism is an ongoing problem. 

We ask that you think about the thousands of people who are still being affected by acts of terrorism today.  On Wednesday, Sept. 10, President Obama announced he has the authority needed to take action against the jihadist group the Islamic State. That same day, Fox News published the article, “Digital jihad: ISIS, Al Qaeda seek a cyber caliphate to launch attacks on US,” saying the group is working on an attack targeted on America’s infrastructure and financial systems. 

With these growing concerns in the Middle East today, it becomes even more important that we remember the events of 9/11. The arc of history is long, and bends toward justice, but we are not there yet. It is imperative that the United States reflects on the past and looks forward to a safe, peaceful future.