Twenty-five years later, the morning of September 11, 2001 remains etched into the American memory.

It was a day that changed our nation forever.

On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, turning ordinary flights into instruments of terror.

We remember American Airlines Flight 11, traveling from Boston to Los Angeles, which was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

We remember United Airlines Flight 175, also traveling from Boston to Los Angeles, which struck the South Tower.

We remember American Airlines Flight 77, traveling from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles, which was crashed into the Pentagon.

And we remember United Airlines Flight 93, traveling from Newark to San Francisco. After learning what was happening elsewhere, passengers and crew courageously fought back against the hijackers. Their actions prevented the terrorists from reaching their intended target, and the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Nearly 3,000 innocent people were killed that day.

But behind that number are individual lives—fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends, coworkers, first responders, military personnel, and people simply beginning another ordinary day.

We Remember the Four Flights

We remember the passengers and crews of Flights 11, 175, 77, and 93.

We remember those who boarded their flights expecting to reach their destinations.

We remember the flight attendants who cared for their passengers in unimaginable circumstances.

We remember the passengers of Flight 93 who demonstrated extraordinary courage when they chose to fight back.

And we remember every family whose lives were permanently changed by the loss of someone they loved.

Their stories should never be reduced to statistics.

We Remember the Heroes

We remember the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, military personnel, and countless emergency responders who ran toward danger while others desperately tried to escape it.

Many never came home.

Their courage demonstrated the very best of the American character: service before self, courage in the face of danger, and a willingness to sacrifice for another person.

We also remember the ordinary Americans who opened their homes, donated blood, helped strangers, prayed together, and stood beside one another in the days and weeks that followed.

For a brief moment, the divisions that so often consume our country seemed small compared with what we shared.

We were Americans.

Never Forget

As the years pass, fewer Americans have firsthand memories of September 11. A generation is growing up that knows the attacks primarily through photographs, videos, and the stories passed down by those who experienced them.

That makes remembering even more important.

We must teach the next generation about Flight 11, Flight 175, Flight 77, and Flight 93.

We must teach them about the nearly 3,000 lives lost.

We must teach them about the first responders who sacrificed everything.

And we must teach them about the courage, faith, and unity that emerged from one of the darkest days in our nation's history.

September 11 reminds us that freedom should never be taken for granted.

The principles that define America—faith, liberty, courage, sacrifice, and self-government—must be understood, protected, and passed on.

At Economic War Room, we believe understanding history is essential to understanding the present and preparing for the future.

America is more than an economy or a government.

America is a people bound together by shared ideals.

Today, we pause to remember everyone aboard American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93.

We remember the victims at the World Trade Center.

We remember those at the Pentagon.

We remember those who died in Shanksville.

We remember the first responders who gave their lives.

And we remember the families who continue to carry their loss.

Twenty-five years later, we remember.
We honor.
We will never forget.

God bless the families who continue to carry the loss.
God bless those who served.
And God bless the United States of America. 🇺🇸