Twenty years cannot erase 9/11 memories

Most everyone old enough can remember where they were and what they were doing nearly 20 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001. Those somber memories are here again as the U.S. marks the 20th anniversary of 9-11 this Saturday.
    Even though it’s been 20 years since the terrorist attacks, two decades cannot erase those memories that left nearly 3,000 innocent Americans dead.
    This year has to make all of us ache even more with what has happened the past month in Afghanistan, a country that has returned to Taliban control, thanks to the Biden Administration’s limp and disgraceful departure in recent weeks. The vote is out on whether our years of troop involvement there will also continue to haunt this country.
        It is a slap in the face to all those veterans who served in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, especially when considering some Americans were apparently left behind in President Biden’s glee to have our troops out before the 20-year anniversary of 9-11. I’m not sure what reception he’ll receive this weekend  at the 9-11 memorial services he attends.
    Yet, while Americans and those Afghans who helped our troops are still waiting to leave, immigrants are flowing into our country at the southern border with little or no vetting. And, while parts of our country face a return to mask mandates and now vaccine card requirements, border patrol personnel have reported people crossing the southern border with COVID and some receiving no screenings.
    With what’s happened in Afghanistan, it’s hard to feel as safe as we once were—maybe it’s just the approaching anniversary, but that’s doubtful. Polls out this week indicate a slight shift in how safe people feel since our Afghanistan exit. We may feel protected here in rural Nebraska, but any attack on the U.S. is an attack on all of us.
    As we approach 9/11, we must continue to pray for this country’s safety and that terror does not reach our doorstep again.