9/11: What Makes a Tragedy Worth Never Forgetting?

I was driving into work today and saw several flags flying at half-mast. As a military veteran, I began asking myself what happened? Did something happen overnight that I missed? As I checked my various news feeds, I realized that today was September 11th. Flags are flying at half-mast in remembrance of the attack on the World Trade Center that happened on September 11, 2001. Annual ceremonies to remember those who died on <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/september-11-fdny-world-trade-center-60-minutes-video-2022-09-11/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">September 11, 2001</a>, are being held in lower Manhattan today at “<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/september-11-rare-video-from-ground-zero-60-minutes/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">ground zero</a>”, as well as at the <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/4197475-watch-live-jill-biden-lays-wreath-at-pentagon-9-11-remembrance-ceremony/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Pentagon</a>. The 9/11 attack is often referred to as the “deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.” Nearly 3,000 people were killed as a result of two hijacked planes flying into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers and one plane flying into the Pentagon. The 9/11 attack is without a doubt an American tragedy. I have no problem with Americans honoring and commemorating the loss of life that happened on September 11, 2001. The annual observances, however, always make me wonder, what qualifies certain tragedies as being tragedies that an entire nation should “<a href="https://neverforget.org/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">never forget</a>”, while other tragedies get very little national attention or remembrance at all. What exactly is it that makes 9/11 different from other American tragedies? Why have I never seen American flags flying at half-mast from May 31 to June 1? Why is it that very few Americans know anything about the <a href="https://www.tulsahistory.org/exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Tulsa Race Massacre</a>? Why is that massacre rarely (if ever) referred to as a “terror attack on U.S. soil”? <a href="https://medium.com/the-polis/9-11-what-makes-a-tragedy-worth-never-forgetting-c173a6a922db">Read More</a>