Guest opinion: Have we forgotten how it felt that day?

“Have you forgotten how it felt that day?” 

Those poignant lyrics in country music singer Darryl Worley’s 2003 chart-topping song “Have You Forgotten” still resonate over two decades later. 

On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, that took the lives of nearly 3,000 of our fellow citizens, the question is worth asking again: Have we forgotten how it felt that day?

And perhaps equally important: What are we doing to ensure that current and future generations know about that day?

From the Twin Towers to the Pentagon to the brave passengers on Flight 93 who heroically fought back against the hijackers and prevented the plane from reaching its presumed target, the U.S. Capitol.

Many of us remember the tragedy of 9/11, but we also remember the heroism, the unity and the patriotism that occurred directly afterward, a unity and pride in our nation that we have scarcely felt since.

Both of us distinctly remember exactly where we were that day and the weeks that followed. We remember the utter pride we felt as Americans watching the World Series go on just seven weeks later between the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. The president, while wearing a bulletproof vest, threw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, a mere 49 days after the terrorist attack. It was a powerful symbol of American resilience. We had been attacked but were determined to move forward.

Twenty-five years later, we have a new challenge: How do we preserve the memory of an event that more than a full generation didn’t experience firsthand?

The National September 11 Memorial and Museum, estimates that 100 million Americans are now too young to remember the terrorist attacks or were born after them. Those who weren’t born yet may now even have children of their own.

According to a review conducted by the Associated Press this month, 25 states have laws or education standards that require public schools to provide instruction specifically on the 9/11 attacks, and another 13 have optional mentions. Several other states have laws requiring or recommending school observances, which brings the number of states with some policy to at least 40.

Montana is not among them. While individual Montana schools and teachers may teach about 9/11, Montana’s current statewide social studies standards do not specifically require instruction on the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Worse than forgetting, misinformation and disinformation about that fateful day have spread rapidly online. The 9/11 Legacy Foundation stated that TikTok videos related to Osama bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to America” had more than 14 million views in 2023. We have also seen this trend infect the podcast space, with notable hosts from both the political left and right in our nation defending the evil perpetrated by al-Qaeda and, even worse, claiming that America deserved 9/11.

If we are determined to never let something like this happen again, we should teach future generations about our past and America’s brave response. This also includes acknowledging some of the successes and missteps of the post-9/11 wars and counterterrorism policies.

We believe Montana students should know about this moment in history and the resilience shown by America in the following days and months.

As a state senator and a state representative, we are working with the Montana Office of Public Instruction to see what is possible in encouraging school districts to include 9/11 education in standard curriculum.

From the brave firefighters and police officers who sacrificed themselves and their health to save their fellow Americans, to the service and rescue dogs that searched tirelessly for survivors, to the incredible Special Forces groups known as the “Horse Soldiers,” who worked alongside the Northern Alliance against the Taliban that had sheltered al-Qaeda, there are countless stories that future generations should know.

Let us never forget that fateful day, Sept. 11, 2001.

Sen. Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale, and Rep. Randyn Gregg, R-White Sulphur Springs.