Remembrance
remembrance
/ˌrɪˈmɛmbərəns/
noun
- The act or process of remembering.
- The state of being remembered.
- Something serving to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or event; a memorial.
Remembrance has a deep meaning when it comes to the attack on our country on 9/11. The attack on New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville causes us to pause and reflect on how it affected our country, those who were directly affected, and all of us who feel a deep loyalty to our republic and those who came before us.
In New York, if you were there personally and had loved ones who perished, as I did, we felt both a personal loss and anger at how it disrupted not only our country but also our immediate families. On a personal note, my childhood hero and first cousin, Firefighter Joseph Angelini, and his son, Joe Jr., their loss is a personal tragedy for them and their families. Remembering them with the honor that they gave their last full measure to protect their fellow citizens will always be at the forefront of our remembrance, not only on 9/11 but always, as we remember what they have missed. As time passes, their loss is also ours as a family.
For those who stood up to terror and made a statement in defiance of it with “Let’s Roll” as a prelude to perishing in Shanksville, we salute our fellow citizens who did what many of us wanted to do when our nation is threatened by those who have no value for human life and the core values that most of us still hold dear.
To the men and women in our military who rushed into the fire at the Pentagon to save their fellow service members, we will always hold dear their solemn oath to “Preserve and Protect from enemies foreign and domestic.”
On this day, may it always be one that continues to focus on our core values as citizens and honor those who volunteered to defend our country in the aftermath, and those who are now veterans, whose oath we honor with our first-ever National Veterans Parade.
With Respect and Remembrance,
Francis Ventura
Executive Director,
National Veterans Parade Foundation