New Pa. 9/11 remembrance law is a reminder for all to remain vigilant

For those of us who faced the terrible impact of 9/11, it’s hard to believe that enough time has passed that college-age students were not alive on that day. It’s critical we ensure the memory of coordinated terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, is passed down through each generation.

After all, as a nation, we promised to never forget. We swore to never forget.

To that end, it’s important to acknowledge the legislation signed into law in June by Gov. Josh Shapiro, which established a moment of silence in our schools on 9/11 to be observed yearly. The legislation’s sponsor, State Rep. Jim Haddock (D., Luzerne), had the unanimous support of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

It’s my hope that all Pennsylvanians will pause on Sept. 11, every year, in a moment of silence, quiet reflection, introspection, or prayer. It’s also a time when individuals collectively halt their activities to honor and remember the deceased — reflecting on the impacts of their lives on our own.

The legislation also requires schools to provide programming for students about the events that day at Ground Zero, at the Pentagon, and, of course, over the skies of Western Pennsylvania when the United Airlines Flight 93 patriots first fought the terrorists, forcing their plane down into the green fields of Shanksville.

This new law rightly commemorates the terrible loss of 2,996 lives that day. Of those, nearly 400 were police officers, firefighters, and EMTs. Children were killed that day flying on airplanes hijacked by terrorists; the youngest was just 2 years old.

The work in identifying the victims continues. In January, more than two decades after the attacks, the remains of a victim were identified in New York. To date, more than 1,100 of the World Trade Center victims — about 40% — remain unidentified.

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The aftermath created thousands of more victims who responded to the exhausting search and rescue effort. Nearly as many first responders have died after 9/11 as those who perished in the moments after the terrorist attacks occurred. Within three years of the collapse of the towers, more than 70,000 people suffering from physical and mental health issues related to the attacks had signed up for the World Trade Center Health Registry.

Ideally, school curricula can help students understand the events leading up to 9/11, and then look at why the U.S. responded the way it did — for example, with legislation like the Patriot Act. Students should learn that America still has military and intelligence assets stationed in the Middle East and around the world as a direct result of the global war on terror. If young people graduate from high school and don’t understand how and why 9/11 occurred, we’re not doing a very good job of preparing them to be our future leaders.

Let me also suggest that the 9/11 anniversary should stand as a day when we rededicate ourselves to staying on guard to prevent another terrible attack on our homeland. It is the civic responsibility of all American citizens to support strong counterterrorism protections every day.

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Regrettably, polling shows that many Americans do not see terrorism as a major threat to our nation. Only 58% of Americans consider terrorism a critical threat, the lowest rate since before 9/11, according to a 2022 public opinion survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. This is down dramatically from 90% in 2002, one year after the attacks of 9/11.

But the threats we face today are as real as those we woke up to on 9/11. After the FBI disrupted a terrorist plot to kill former President George W. Bush that involved the would-be assassins fleeing into Mexico, it’s clear we must do more to protect our southern border.

We must teach our children — and remind each other — that homeland security is not merely a buzzword. It represents a responsibility American citizens and all levels of government must take seriously.

Former national security adviser Gen. Colin Powell said this about the events of 9/11: “You can be sure the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy.” He was right. We have. But we must stand by the commitment made 23 years ago when we promised those who tragically died, and their loved ones, that we would never forget what happened on that horrific day.

Let’s keep that commitment, and do everything in our power to ensure that no other generation of Americans ever suffers another tragedy like it.

Mark Schweiker was the 44th governor of Pennsylvania. On 9/11, he served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council, driving the commonwealth’s response and deployment of emergency resources.