In Remembrance of September 11, 2001
A Message from LOC Executive Director Mike Cully
As we come upon the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, I reflect on what that day means to me, to local officials in Oregon, and to all Americans.
It was a Tuesday morning, 5:45 a.m. here on the West Coast…the date: September 11, 2001.
It was at this moment that American flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City and changed our world forever. It was a defining moment for our country, and a moment that lives in perpetuity. We must never forget this most egregious attack on our freedom. Ever. The terrorist attacks shook us to the core. It made us question our own safety.
For a time, the attacks on the twin towers brought us together as Americans. In tragedy we found unity, and resolve. We galvanized as a country, and as people.
Of course, the attack on our country did so much more than that, but if there is one outcome that still resonates, it is that we – as a country and in our own communities – pulled together to support each other, grieve with one another, and offer help where it was needed.
We still mourn today those who needlessly lost their lives. We lament the feeling that we were not as safe on our own soil as we once thought.
We have the ability to not only overcome but come together. We have proven this. It is an attitude that can serve us well here in Oregon in these tumultuous times and we remember what is possible when we face the impossible and come together in unity.
We must never forget.
- Mike Cully, LOC Executive Director