People seem to have forgotten the horrors of 9/11

"The sun shines, and people forget ...”That’s a line from a song written by Peter Townshend 24 years ago. It can also be used to describe the current prevailing attitude among many Americans regarding the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Monday evening I attended a memorial service at a local house of worship. A mere 40 people were in attendance. Four years ago, hundreds filled the same building. Five years ago, the world was filled with those singing “God Bless America”, waving the Stars and Stripes and making statements like, “Those who love freedom the world over are all Americans, and all Americans today are New Yorkers.”Now, it seems either less important or more inconvenient for many to pay their respects and remember those fateful events. I find it difficult to comprehend that it’s so easy for so many to forget the loss of nearly 3,000 of our countrymen and the heroic deeds of the police, fire, and rescue personnel, not to mention those on the planes. You want to watch reality television? I for one will never forget the live TV images of the second plane crashing and the towers falling. When the firefighters recovered and hoisted the flag in that now-famous photograph, I realized what Francis Scott Key must have felt on Sept. 14, 1814, when “bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”Is it that I am more religious and/or patriotic than many others? I do not believe that. I do not claim to know the answer, only the facts. And the facts seem to indicate that most have forgotten the horrors of five years ago. I offer a prayer that our enemies do not choose to provide a refresher course. Richard Siciliano, Landisville, Published in the Daily Journal - September 14, 2006