By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

More than two decades ago, I had dinner in the "Windows on the World" restaurant at the top of a World Trade Center tower in New York City, which no longer exists.  Twenty-two years ago, on September 11, 2001, it was hit by a passenger jet and came crashing down.[2]

I had worked in the Pentagon too, and that day another jet cut a swath into the building, and killed many inside as well as its passengers.  Another jet crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after a group of passengers rushed the cockpit and its hijackers.

Still another jet brought down a second World Trade Center tower.  For some of us, 9/11 will be remembered forever, like the day when I walked out of my law school class to learn that John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.

Also, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii changed lives forever.  Most of the "Greatest Generation" of Americans who won World War II are gone now.  So are many of those who served in our wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

But no American should ever forget these events in our history, lest they be repeated in horrific ways.  Nuclear attacks can occur, as well as nation-ending EMP attacks that would take down our electrical grids and make electric vehicles (EVs) useless, and kill most of us.[3]

Tragically, D-Day that changed the world is largely forgotten[4]; and the Fourth of July is too.[5]. Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it . . . or even worse—much worse than 9/11.  History must be taught and revered, not ignored or rewritten.  The good, bad and the ugly must be understood, to put the future into perspective.[6]

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© 2023, Timothy D. Naegele

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[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/   He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service).  Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_on_the_World ("Windows on the World") and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks ("September 11 attacks") and https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12504403/911-memorial-terror-attack-remembrance-ceremonies.html ("Never Forget: First moments of silence held at Manhattan's annual September 11 ceremony - as Americans mark 22 years since the attacks took thousands of lives in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia") and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2021/09/13/9-11-every-american-should-read-this/ ("9/11—Every American Should Read This")

[3]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/emp-attack-only-30-million-americans-survive/ ("EMP Attack: Only 30 Million Americans Survive")

[4]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/06/06/d-day-has-been-forgotten/ ("D-Day Has Been Forgotten")

[5]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/06/18/the-juneteenth-holiday-should-be-abolished/ ("The Juneteenth Holiday Should Be Abolished")

[6]  See, e.g., https://thepoliticalinsider.com/report-biden-will-remember-9-11-at-a-quick-air-force-one-fuel-stop-in-alaska-on-his-way-home-from-vietnam/ ("Biden Will Remember 9/11 at a Quick Air Force One Fuel Stop in Alaska On His Way Home From Vietnam") and https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/ig-report-dhs-has-limited-ability-accurately-track-migrants-post ("DHS has limited ability to accurately track migrants’ post-release addresses: IG report")