Twenty-five years later, I still remember the feeling of September 11, 2001. I remember the shock of watching our country come under attack and the uncertainty of not knowing what would happen next. But I also think about the way America responded.
We came together.
We remember the Alabamians we lost that day: Alok Kumar Mehta, Dorothy Pearl Temple, James D. Cleere, Jimmie Ira Holley, Nehamon “Nick” Lyons IV, Marsha Dianah Ratchford, Tamara C. Thurman, Dwayne Williams, Terry Lynch, Mary Lynn Edwards Angell, Carl Max Hammond Jr., Eddie A. Dillard and Edward A. D’Atri. Their names remind us that September 11 was not simply a tragedy that happened somewhere else. It touched Alabama communities and families, just as it touched communities across our entire country.
What I always remember most is what happened after the attacks.
Americans ran toward danger. Firefighters, police officers, EMTs, soldiers and ordinary citizens put themselves in harm’s way for people they had never met. Neighbors helped neighbors. Strangers became friends. Churches opened their doors. American flags appeared on front porches and in the hands of people who wanted the world to know that our country would not be defined by the evil that attacked it.
For a moment, we stopped focusing on everything that divided us and remembered everything that united us.
I believe that is one of the most important lessons of September 11.
That spirit did not suddenly appear because America was attacked. September 11 revealed something that was already in the American character. We are a people who believe freedom is worth defending. We believe our neighbors matter. We believe our country is worth sacrificing for. And when our country is tested, we are capable of standing together.
Twenty-five years later, America faces different challenges. We have disagreements, frustrations and divisions. But the courage, compassion, patriotism and resilience we saw in those days are still here.
That is where my hope for America comes from.
The America that stood together on September 11 is still here. The same people who ran toward danger are raising families, serving communities, wearing uniforms and building businesses. The same spirit that filled our streets with flags and brought Americans together in prayer is still part of who we are.
The best way to honor those we lost is not simply to remember what happened to America that day. It is to remember what America showed the world.
Because what made us great then is what makes us great today.
And it is what will make America great tomorrow – but we must never forget.
Congressman Barry Moore is the U.S. Representative for AL-01 and lives in Enterprise, Alabama with his family. He serves on the House Judiciary Committee and House Agriculture Committee in Congress. He is also the Republican nominee for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2026.
