Reflecting on 9/11, Reevaluating US Foreign Policy

Remembering 9/11: Lessons Learned and Reflections

Today marks the 22nd⁢ anniversary of the 9/11 ⁢attacks. So much has been written about this horrific day it is difficult to ⁣reflect upon ‌it‌ without merely repeating what others have⁢ already said. ‌But sometimes repetition is necessary.

As the chasm of⁢ time between that morning and today grows inexorably wider, we‍ run‌ a​ very real risk of⁣ falling‌ into a somnambulant sense of security. But if 9/11 taught​ us one thing, it is that events so⁤ significant as to send a hyper-power spinning off its axis tend to occur on the most ordinary of days.

I used to work on the 55th floor of⁢ Two World Trade Center. I can‌ still recall the ‍magnificent views of all Manhattan below us, while Tower One, like a twin sentinel, seemed so close you could ⁢reach out and touch it. You really felt like⁣ you were working in the epicenter of ⁣the world’s economic engine up there. And, ⁣in a way, you were. I was⁣ fortunate,‌ as it turned out, to‌ accept a job across the Hudson in Jersey City before the attacks. And⁣ so, my colleagues and I ​watched from the⁢ high floor of a skyscraper on the west bank of⁣ the Hudson as the second aircraft, a UAL 767, hurling at‍ eye-level with the throttle wide open, slammed into the second tower.

We soon evacuated our own building and made our way outside to ​the pier along the river and‌ watched as the hell unfolded. The surreal moment was made all the more⁤ so by the clear azure sky that belied the sinister events unfolding ⁣beneath it. When the buildings came down, and those on the dock shrieked, cried, and gasped⁤ a collective ⁣“No!”, a ⁤co-worker said‌ quietly, “My brothers are up there.” They both died. Our former house attorney who’d just a few months before excitedly accepted a job at Cantor-Fitzgerald, and had been trapped at the ‌top of ‍Tower One, was‌ also dead. As were eight people from my small commuter‌ town.

We feared for the life of my brother-in-law, a New York firefighter,‌ but fortunately he​ was spared — ‌348 of his fellow FDNY ⁤brothers were not. One can only imagine the PTSD‌ he endured as⁤ he donned⁣ his⁤ dress blues to attend ⁣funeral after funeral. These surviving firefighters should be⁤ considered war veterans.

My memories are fading now, and that is a healthy thing. One cannot dwell on terrible events. But at the same time,​ a nation can, and should, learn from them. And I think 9/11 should prompt⁣ us to reflect on some things about our country. ⁤Some are sublime, others not so ⁢much.

Lessons Learned

• Never underestimate⁣ the⁢ capacity of the American spirit to overcome daunting situations and⁣ engage in acts of self-sacrifice for ​the greater good.
• Reflect on the consequences of our national leaders’ self-delusion and the need for a more⁤ nuanced understanding of global issues.
• Recognize the importance of ‌energy independence to reduce vulnerability ‍and the need for ​military presence in​ volatile⁢ regions.
• Acknowledge that‌ while many in the world may harbor resentment or envy towards the United States,⁢ it is crucial to address their concerns and listen to their perspectives.
• Exercise our power responsibly and⁢ be mindful of the unintended consequences of our actions.

If ⁢this in any ‌way sounds ⁣like‌ a justification for⁤ the events that ‌occurred 22 years ago, then you completely miss the ⁣point. Because ⁣what ultimately matters is‍ do others justify it? And if so,‍ then how do we make them no longer see the US in such a light? Given the fact that we are at it again, spending billions to prop up a losing campaign in a far off land against an old foe (one ⁤with a ‍lot ⁣of nukes),‍ I wonder if this less⁤ appealing moral of 9/11 ​will ever ⁢be absorbed. If not, ⁢then we are in for more‍ down the road. ‌Remember, no one who woke up⁣ that peaceful morning and breathed the⁢ clear, crisp late⁣ summer air could ⁢have ​imagined how the‍ world would have changed by sundown. It⁢ happens that fast.

The United States ⁢has both the blessing and curse of historically unprecedented ‌power. ⁢It must therefore be​ used ⁢wisely, deployed sparingly, and with ⁤the understanding that actions will have consequences if we are not⁢ careful.‌ Even⁣ if ​those consequences are cowardly acts of mass murder, so long as cowardly mass murderers exist,⁣ so too does the danger.

Fortunately, we have a counterweight⁣ here to the fools who⁢ are running this nation into‌ the ground. That is ‌called the spirit of⁣ the everyday American. A spirit ⁤we watched in real-time through countless​ acts⁣ of heroism ⁤and self-sacrifice on that otherwise terrible morning.‍ We saw⁢ it in passengers taking down their ⁣own plane to⁣ save the lives of others. We saw it in New York firefighters making ⁤their way‌ up the smoke-clogged stairwells into danger and what many knew would be their last mission, while injured and bewildered⁢ citizens were headed down⁢ the other way to safety. We‌ saw it in how Americans, Left and⁢ Right, set aside their differences to join hands and express to the world with one voice: We Are Americans. We are a nation of ‌good people.

Yet we still have the capacity, when pushed, to ⁢respond to such brazen affronts with a ‌single-minded fury that Yamamoto ⁤understood sixty years ‍earlier, while orchestrating another ⁤surprise attack on our nation. We are still a “sleeping giant,”‌ not to be trifled with.⁣ Indeed,⁢ once we get rolling the only enemy ⁣who can defeat us is ⁤ourselves.⁢ And ⁣that, perhaps,⁢ is a lesson for ⁢the rest of the world to ponder.

Brad Schaeffer ‌is a commodities trader, columnist, and author. His newest book‍ LIFE IN THE PITS: My ‌Time As A Trader On The Rough-And-Tumble‌ Exchange Floors comes out⁣ in December.

The views ‍expressed in⁣ this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent ​those of The Daily⁢ Wire.