Editorial: The Long Legacy Of 9/11

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, Editorial Board
Photo: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Few Americans who were alive on Sept. 11, 2001, ever will forget where they were and how they reacted when they heard the news. The consequence of the worst attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor was instantly apparent. America was about to change in myriad ways.

Seventeen years later, the change has been every bit as profound and enduring as anticipated. Enhanced surveillance and security measures adopted in the aftermath of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people have become entrenched. The federal bureaucracy was overhauled and expanded to identify and thwart potential threats, with the Department of Homeland Security overseeing the mission.

It took nearly a decade, but a daring mission ultimately exacted lethal revenge on Osama bin Laden, the terrorist kingpin behind the hijacking plot. His presence in Pakistan only added to persistent questions about that nation’s reliability and efficacy as a partner in the war on terrorism.

More elusive has been a resolution to stabilize Afghanistan, which had provided a safe haven for bin Laden and al Qaeda. A U.S.-led coalition to topple the Taliban invaded Afghanistan in December 2011, but America’s longest war still rages under its third administration. The Trump administration now talks of a negotiated settlement, instead of a military victory, to end the fighting that has cost the lives of about 2,400 U.S. military personnel.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are set to travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to commemorate the passenger heroes who sacrificed their lives in stopping a hijacking that likely would have escalated the toll of 9/11. There were many heroes to honor from that day, most notably the first responders who put their own safety in peril at the scenes of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Americans must never forget their service.

This commentary is from The Chronicle’s editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-The-long-legacy-of-9-11