Though the sense of urgency associated with observing the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the U.S. has faded a bit in recent years, we have still observed Patriot Day every September 11 as a national day of prayer and remembrance for the victims.

For some, it has become a day of service to their communities to honor the lives of the 2,977 who were lost.

For most, the day still stirs up memories of streets lined with U.S. flags and a country united as patriots — determined to stand strong in the face of those who loathed what we said we stood for nearly a quarter-century ago.

Al-Qaeda was an extreme and militant Islamist organization whose aim was to unite the Muslim world into an enormous and aggressive theocracy — forced upon everyone that lived under its umbrella.

See Full Page