Approximately 2,997 people died on the catastrophic morning of September 11, 2001 – a day that should never be forgotten.

Yet, 12 short years later, feelings of resignation and complacency are already hanging on the date.

Even two years ago in 2011, the John J. Zimmerman Memorial Lecture at Emporia State featured a speech Steven P. Bucci on the aftermath of 9/11. But, it seems now that as a nation and as a campus, we have distanced ourselves from the fateful event.

We no longer wear ribbons of red, white and blue to mark the anniversary of that terrible day. Emotional interviews with those left behind are a thing of the past. Few professors encourage us to remember that day with special assignments. Thinking about what happened seems too horrific for some, and yet, for others, it seems so long ago that we don’t bother to give it much thought.

Our campus let the day arrive and pass with little thought to its relevance. No special services were held and few professors bothered to mention it in class. The only sign that the day was still remembered were the flags flying at half-staff.

But, even that seems irrelevant compared to how much was overlooked.

Thousands of lives were lost that day, yet we shrug our shoulders and carry on. The repercussions of the event are still ever-present in our world today, yet we take no notice of them. We are still today at war against terrorism, a direct result of 9/11, and do nothing to honor the lives that were lost or remember the tragedy.

Take a moment to reflect on the events of that terrifying morning. Countless victims lost their lives in the wreckage of the World Trade Center and the hijacked planes. Heroes died trying to protect and save the lives of the people in New York City, protecting the freedom of every citizen of the United States of America. May we always remember 9/11, and never forget.