A reflection on 9/11

To honor the 2,977 souls who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, the Senate stood in unison during the 2021 legislative session to commemorate the 20th anniversary and urged all Kentuckians to remember not the pain and loss that occurred on that awful day, but the American courage to rise above and overcome in our darkest hour. I ask you to join my colleagues and me as we reflect on the eloquent words of our collective resolution, and never forget.

Never forget American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, beginning a series of terrorist attacks that would prove to be the deadliest in human history.

Never forget United Flight 175, which crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Never forget American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, created a path of destruction and placed the remainder of Washington, D.C. on high alert.

Never forget the field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed, killing 33 passengers and seven crew members, with those aboard courageously overtaking the hijackers and saving even more innocent lives.

Never forget the trauma — emotional and environmental — which still lingers 21 years later, even as the buildings that were damaged or destroyed have been rebuilt.

Never forget the American spirit that in our hour of greatest need, when hope seems the most unattainable, we come together to build a better future.

It is also true that now, when our country seems so divided along political and ideological lines, we still have in each of us that potential to see the absolute good in our fellow Americans, and to unite in the face of stark division.

In reflection on the 21st anniversary of 9/11, let’s seek the good in our fellow Americans. We owe it to those we have lost, and to those who have sacrificed so much for it.

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Senator Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville, represents the 20th District, including Carroll, Franklin, Gallatin, and Owen Counties as well as southern Boone and part of west Kenton Counties. He serves as the co-chair of the interim joint Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, he is a member of the joint interim committee on Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations and a member of the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation.