Twenty-five years ago, al-Qaeda terrorists attacked our nation and forever changed the course of history. Nearly 3,000 innocent people were murdered, but in the face of unimaginable evil, ordinary Americans did extraordinary things.
Firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and other first responders ran toward danger. Construction workers, ironworkers, operating engineers, electricians, laborers and sanitation workers descended upon Ground Zero. Nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals cared for the injured and sick. American workers searched, recovered, rebuilt and helped our nation rise again.
As a retired NYPD detective, I served alongside some of the finest men and women this country has ever known. Like so many Americans, I lost friends, colleagues, and loved ones — not only on September 11, but in the years since, as the illnesses caused by that day continued taking lives.
Their work did not end when the smoke cleared — and neither did their suffering.
Today, Americans in every congressional district are living with cancers, respiratory diseases and other 9/11-related illnesses. Some were first responders. Others worked in the recovery effort, lived or attended school nearby, or traveled from across the country to help. They answered America’s call. America must continue answering theirs.
That is why it is disgraceful that, even 25 years later, some members of Congress still vote against funding 9/11 healthcare while casually throwing around the words “Never Forget.” You cannot honor heroes in a social media post, or propose renaming a Post Office and abandon them in a congressional vote. You cannot praise their sacrifice at a ceremony and then deny them the healthcare they earned.
That is not remembrance. It is hypocrisy.
We also have a responsibility to teach the next generation exactly what happened on September 11. Our young people must know who attacked us, why America was targeted and who rose to defend our nation. They must learn about the innocent lives stolen, the heroes who ran into burning buildings and the American workers who spent months digging through the rubble and years rebuilding.
September 11 cannot become a vague chapter in a history book. Our children must understand the price of freedom, the reality of evil and their responsibility to remain vigilant so such an attack never happens again.
“Never Forget” is not a moniker to be used once a year. It is a solemn promise requiring action: care for the sick, support survivors and families, teach the truth and stand behind those who ran toward danger when our nation needed them most.
Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, America must continue supporting law enforcement, sharing intelligence across every level of government and maintaining the strongest military in the world. We must relentlessly pursue and destroy those who seek to harm America and its people.
The American worker helped carry this country through its darkest hour. Twenty-five years later, we owe those workers more than words.
We owe them our gratitude. We owe them healthcare. We owe them action. And we owe future generations the truth.
That is what it truly means to never forget.
I love our freedom. I love our Flag. I love our Nation. God bless the heroes. May God hold their loved ones. May God bless the United States of America.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R., N.Y.) represented New York’s 4th District in Congress; he now serves as the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor.
