09/12/2026
I was 19, working at Boss Brothers Feed Store in Loganville, GA. A customer came and told us what happened with the first tower and we all gathered around the radio listening to what was happening. Someone ran home to grab a TV and brought it back and for the rest of the day customers came in but it was to silently gather and watch with us in disbelief at what we were seeing. I’ll never ever forget that day.
Today we remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were taken far too soon. We remember the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, military personnel, and ordinary citizens who ran toward danger as everyone was trying to run away from it. Some gave everything trying to save people they had never even met.
We remember the families who said goodbye that morning without knowing it would be the last time. The empty chairs at dinner tables. The children who grew up without a parent. The husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends who never came home.
But I hope we also remember September 12.
For a little while, America wasn’t divided by politics, opinions, backgrounds, or differences. We weren’t red or blue. We weren’t arguing with our neighbors or treating people who disagreed with us like enemies.
We were simply AMERICANS. ❤️🇺🇸❤️
Flags flew from porches, businesses, overpasses, and pickup trucks. Strangers helped strangers. Churches filled. People hugged a little tighter. We checked on our neighbors. We thanked our first responders. We stood together because we understood that what united us was so much greater than what divided us.
Twenty-five years later, I wish we could find a little more of that September 12 America again.
Today, remember the innocent lives lost. Remember the heroes who gave their all. Remember the families who still carry that loss.
And maybe most importantly, remember what this country looked like when we stood TOGETHER.
Never forget.
🇺🇸🇺🇸
