SENATOR BRANDON STORM: A REFLECTION ON 9/11

On Sunday, America stood in remembrance of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon and an open field in Pennsylvania.

It’s difficult to believe we’re over two decades removed from that tragic day in our nation’s history. Let us pray for comfort and peace for the families who lost loved ones.

To honor the 2,977 souls who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, the Senate stood in unison during the 2021 legislative session to commemorate the 20th anniversary and urged all Kentuckians to remember not the pain and loss that occurred on that awful day, but the American courage to rise above and overcome in our darkest hour. I ask you to join my colleagues and me as we reflect on the eloquent words of our collective resolution, and never forget.

Never forget American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, beginning a series of terrorist attacks that would prove to be the deadliest in human history.

Never forget United Flight 175, which crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Never forget American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, created a path of destruction and placed the remainder of Washington, D.C. on high alert.

Never forget the field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed, killing 33 passengers and seven crew members, with those aboard courageously overtaking the hijackers and saving even more innocent lives.

Never forget the trauma—emotional and environmental—which still lingers 21 years later, even as the buildings that were damaged or destroyed have been rebuilt.

Never forget the American spirit that in our hour of greatest need, when hope seems the most unattainable, we come together to build a better future.

It is also true that now, when our country seems so divided along political and ideological lines, we still have in each of us that potential to see the absolute good in our fellow Americans, and to unite in the face of stark division.

In reflection on the 21st anniversary of 9/11, let’s seek the good in our fellow Americans. We owe it to those we have lost, and to those who have sacrificed so much for it.

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Senator Brandon J. Storm, R-London, represents the 21^st District, including Casey, Lincoln, Laurel, and Rockcastle Counties. Storm is the vice-chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Transportation and serves as chair of the Senate Enrollment Committee. He also serves as a member of the Senate Standing Committees on Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor; State and Local Government; Banking and Insurance; and is a liaison member of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Resources. Additionally,  Storm is a member of the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee, and the Child Welfare Oversight and Advisory Committee, and was most recently appointed to the Emergency Medical Services Task Force during the 2022 Interim.