There’s probably not one single American (who is old enough) to remember what they were doing on that fateful day when four commercial jetliners were hijacked and intentionally crashed on United States soil.  Two of the planes hit New York City’s twin towers of the World Trade Center, taking the lives of thousands of innocent civilians- persons from more than 90 countries. One other jetliner hit the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania.  The hijackers on that fourth plane were planning to attack our Nation’s capitol, but because brave passengers and the flight crew had been informed of what was going on elsewhere, they fought heroically to retake the plane.  There were no survivors on any flights.  

The grief that Americans felt that day remains.  It’s hard to believe that one can lose their life in such a cruel way by going to work.  Besides the passengers and persons in the buildings, including children,  there were many firefighters, police, EMS personnel and others who lost their lives.  We can only pray that we never see another day such as that one.   

It is ironic that manyof today’s soldiers were just children on that fateful day.  Now, as adults,  they are continuing to fight a war in Afghanistan that began October 7, 2001, in response to the tragedy of 9-11.  Others were involved in the Iraq War, which began in 2003; now our military presence  is being downsized.  However, many of these troops will be sent to Afghanistan.  Their mission is to ensure that the tragedy of 9-11 never happens again.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we lived in a world without hate or fear?

Along with hundreds of suppliers and businesses in America, Texas America Safety Company sent hardhats and respirators for the dedicated workers to wear in the cleanup and recovery phase, which lasted until May, 2002.  OSHA distributed more than 131,000 respirators, 11,000 hard hats, 13,000 safety glasses and goggles, and 21,000 pairs of protective gloves. They identified more than 9,000 hazards that had to be dealt with during this time. 

We, along with all Americans, salute the workers for the difficult tasks performed during the 10 months of the recovery mission.  As with all Americans, we will never forget that day.  Each year, there are many tributes made to the victims, their families, the first responders who lost their lives, and the thousands of workers in the clean-up phase.  Let’s pledge to never forget what happened to our country on that horrible day, and to keep ourselves, and our country as safe as possible.