Fifteen years ago today America took a sucker punch, knocking us to our knees.

Looking back on the horrendous events of a decade and a half ago, remembering the fear of that morning is easy.

The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, started out normal for most people, but as the minutes and hours ticked by a sudden burning reality took over — we were at war.

Fear and worry turned to anger and revenge. These punks had the gall to come to our home and attack us. It was something that had not happened in a broad way since Pearl Harbor just before World War II.

After the World Trade Center towers ultimately fell and the lack of new attacks later in the day slowly began to calm our collective fear, something amazing happened — fear quickly turned into resolve.

The nation galvanized into a strong, unbreakable union, again the like of which had not been seen in decades.

Americans rallied behind our flag and the men and women who protect and serve us in police, fire and military roles.

The patriotism in the days after 9/11 was intoxicating. Sadly, years later, that feeling seems gone.

Here, 15 years removed from 9/11, in a way, the terrorists accomplished their goal of driving a wedge into our country’s heart.

Not recognizing that is easy since the fog of the 15-year war on terror continues.

Their actual goal — experts tell us — was to try to encourage America to lessen its interest in Middle Eastern allies. Terrorists hoped that without American support, the leadership of those countries would fall and Taliban-like regimes could take over.

What happened was quite the opposite. America, judged as weak by terrorists, reacted strongly to being attacked. Far from removing ourselves from the Middle East, we actually deepened our involvement.

In hindsight, the war in Iraq was a distraction from hunting down the real terrorist in Afghanistan.

Months turned into years and the war on terror across the globe lingers on to this day.

The mastermind of 9/11 — Osama bin Laden — was eventually hunted down and killed.

But America has never returned to its pre-9/11 sense of comfort.

Initially, our fear of another attack by commercial airliner led to the most immediate changes — heightened security rules for air travels.

Aside from that, for the most part, our lives have been relatively unchanged. Domestically, lone wolf terrorists have continued to carry out periodic attacks, but thankfully nothing on the scale of 9/11.

What is most telling, however, is not how our way of living was changed by 9/11, but how our hearts changed toward others.

Our anti-foreigner bias is probably worse than anytime in recent history.

But it’s not just that which remains so troubling.

Briefly after 9/11, police officers and firefighters were respected, brave heroes. The nation rallied around them.

That national respect was short-lived. Today, police and fire personnel remain among the lowest paid, despite the enormity of their roles.

Now, significant parts of our population view the police with distrust because of the criminal actions of a small number of officers. Some deranged people have even targeted police officers with deadly precision.

What has happened to the country since 9/11 is difficult to see since we’re living the history as it unfolds.

Terrorists’ primary aim may not have been to change America’s collective nature, but the targeted attacked did just that.

America, the welcoming melting pot of the world, is now filled with a strong sense of self-righteous rage toward outsiders.

That’s not the America our Founding Fathers envisioned when they started the Great Experiment decades ago. As long as we continue to focus on our differences not our similarities, the unintended consequences of the terrorists will continue to have a hold on our nation’s hearts.

 

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.