With each passing year, the Patriot Day observance seems less urgent. Life has gone on, and for many, Sept. 11 has become yet another date on the calendar. Some may have a fleeting thought about the gravity of the day when 2,974 people died during the 2001 terrorist attacks. The raw emotions are all but gone, except for the families and friends who continue to struggle with the loss of their loved ones.We've started to forget the tragedy of that day because it has been overtaken by its aftermath: an unrelated protracted war in Iraq, lengthy debates about protecting our borders, inconvenient security restrictions at the airport.But we need to remember how vulnerable we felt that day. We need to recall how quiet the streets and the skies and how scared we were as a people. The world stood still that Tuesday and for the days following, yet it has become a trivia question along the lines of "Where were you when Mount St. Helens blew up?'In honor of those who died and to remind us how fortunate we are that we survived as a country, Sept. 11 should be made an official holiday - probably more so than Pearl Harbor Day, because more civilians died on Sept. 11, during a time of peace. President Bush has made declarations every year since proclaiming the day as Patriot Day, but more needs to be done to sanctify the day before it becomes another day like the first day of summer.The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, changed how we viewed our world, but it's up to us to see that the memory is preserved.[[In-content Ad]]
