9/11 has always been a day of importance and historical context, but what does this event mean to someone who was born after 9/11? 

As someone who was born in 2005, I have always looked at 9/11 as a day to celebrate those who have fought for our country and remember the ones we lost. And growing up, the only access I had to understanding or learning of the events were through other people’s eyes and ears thatwere there to see it. The memories would trickle down to me through a parent, a teacher or even an older friend.

It also meant that whenever the anniversary would come and go, my school educators would play a video and reminisce on their own experiences of the event – whether it was in-person, watching a live broadcast or having a relative there in real time. And as someone who lives in a post-9/11 world, I’ve always considered it to be a day to learn and inform myself. With the increase of technology in the new generation it often makes it easier to find more information about 9/11 and all of those who were affected. 

According to a poll from the American Identity Research Project conducted in 2022, “results found that Gen Z and Millennials were less likely than Americans from older generations to describe the post-9/11 nation as ‘patriotic’ and ‘united.’” 

I think that this statistic is true because older generations had a broader understanding of society at the time, there was a fear that an entire generation experienced, one’s in which recalling memories or educating the younger generations would never be enough for us to understand.

Gen Z is often the first generation after 9/11, and many people often had to educate our generation on the events of 9/11. As long as our country continues to honor those lost on 9/11, the holiday will always have significant meaning. With the world constantly changing, some holidays today are not considered as important as they were back then. 

9/11 should always be considered important, especially for those who lost their lives that day. The terrorist attacks impacted our country. The Global War on Terror occurred because of the events of the terrorist attacks and through this, my entire existence regarding U.S. foreign affairs and wars have been on-going and active global conflicts with the Middle East – my generation’s experience with 9/11 is the aftermath of mourning and grief, and existing in a country through wartime across seas.

The aftermath of the event can not be ignored. It was, and is, a day to remember. 

Our army can never be ignored for the constant fight and work they put in to keep our country safe and the expressed trauma, tension and emotional rawness experienced by the American people is something that should not be easily disregarded and forgotten.

The patriotism of that day can not be ignored, and the wars that we faced since then we still face today. 9/11 is not just an important day for our military, but an important day for our country. 

Categories: Opinion