(Editor’s Note: The following article was submitted by the Rep. Shane Mekeland Team).

The upcoming 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation is spurring much thought, from recollections of that notorious day to our country’s recovery and the state of affairs today. I would like to share some of my reflections.

I was working at a full-service convenience store complex at the time and already had started my day when the news of a plane crash in New York City broke. The only live feed we had access to was on a tiny TV in the auto repair area. It got our attention, to say the least, and we took a minute to see what was going on. That minute turned into hours glued to the TV, staring at footage in disbelief and with jaws dropped.

Everything stopped.

Customers didn’t seem to care if their oil changes were put on hold and the owner of the shop was right there with us in front of that little TV. The only thing we all wanted to know is how in the world a plane crashed into the World Trade Center – check that, how did two planes crash into the World Trade Center? This can’t be an accident. People were in those buildings! The Pentagon? Pennsylvania? What’s next?

Who is responsible?

Social media had not yet proliferated our screens and it is hard to imagine how our consumption of information may have been different if it had. Maybe we were better off receiving a trickle of reports through the means of the day instead of being consumed with a Facebook deluge. Just a thought.

Here is another thought: After the initial shock subsided, the attacks of 9/11 had an extreme galvanizing effect on the people of our nation. Color, creed, race, religion, political allegiances – none of it mattered. We were just stunned Americans, brothers and sisters banding together to mourn those we lost and comfort one another. Most of us also were desperate for the heinous souls responsible for killing thousands of our fellow Americans to be held accountable.

Times are different today, with a rather polarized population. We said we would never forget 9/11 and that it was a wake-up call for our nation and, in some ways, that remains true. But it’s too bad the remarkable unity we showed after those terrorist attacks has faded. Here we are, 20 years later and Americans have devolved into Pitchfork Nation, canceling one another over facemasks, vaccinations, and any number of perceived insensitivities of the day. Many career politicians preach about equality, equity and humanity, yet turn around and perpetuate divisive issues that splinter us.

Meanwhile, atrocities are taking place around the globe and we Americans lack a unified commitment to stand as the world’s beacon for defending liberties and freedoms. I have seen credible photos of severe disfigurement. Innocent children have suffered at the hands of diabolical foreign regimes. Those pictures have been seared into my brain and I can only imagine the fate those poor kids have suffered. My heart weeps for them.

Thank you to the men and women of our armed forces. Your willingness to serve and enormous sacrifices are appreciated beyond words. I pray we can rediscover our great, patriotic spirit of togetherness in America so that we can more fully honor our legacy as the Home of the Free and the Land of the Brave.