For a quarter century now, Americans have paused each year on September 11 to remember the 2,977 victims lost on that fateful day in 2001. As the anniversary arrives yet again, we recall the stories of gut-wrenching tragedy and larger-than-life heroism – from the first responders who ran toward the sounds of chaos, to the countless unnamed Americans who guided strangers through the smoke and rubble, to the courageous passengers who made one last call to their loved ones and then rushed the cockpit of Flight 93 above a Pennsylvania field.

In all the commemorations this year, there are two words you’re likely to have heard more than any others: “Never Forget.” More than a slogan, Never Forget is a promise that Americans have continually made to themselves and to the world.

25 years later, however, it’s worth asking ourselves how well we have lived up to that promise. Part of honoring the fallen is ensuring that their deaths were not in vain – and that means a clear-eyed examination of the lessons of 9/11 and what we have done to ensure they are not lost to time. It means facing some difficult but necessary questions.

1.    Are we doing a good enough job teaching young people what happened that day and who was behind it?

For Americans who lived through 9/11, it can be difficult to comprehend just how distant the attacks now feel for younger generations.

Roughly 100 million Americans – including 10 percent of all adults – were born after the attacks. Millions more were too young to have any meaningful memory of the day. They remember no void suddenly appearing in the New York skyline, no endless replay of planes striking buildings, and no firsthand experience of the fear that gripped the country.

There are already teachers explaining 9/11 to students who themselves were not alive when it happened. We are entering an era when Americans born after the attacks are old enough to serve in Congress.

That makes the responsibility of those who do remember even greater. “Never Forget” can no longer mean simply remembering. It must mean deliberately passing that memory on – explaining what happened, who did it, and why it mattered.

2.    Do we have the courage to name the individuals and evil ideology behind the attacks?

The men who murdered thousands of Americans on September 11 were al-Qaeda terrorists motivated by Islamic fundamentalism. They hijacked airplanes and crashed them into buildings because they hated the United States, hated this country’s Christian heritage and identity, and wanted to bring about the downfall of Western Civilization itself. Twenty-five years later, there should be no hesitation about saying so.

Yet moral clarity is too often replaced by euphemism, rationalization, or attempts to explain away extremism. Even more alarmingly, some American voters seem to have forgotten the threat that radical Islam poses.

Sadly, nowhere is this clearer than in New York City, where the mayor has disturbing associations with radical Islam. During his campaign last year, Zohran Mamdani praised Imam Siraj Wahhaj, a suspected co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Mamdani has also cultivated a political relationship with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, even joining him for a lengthy livestream during his mayoral campaign.

Piker has infamously declared that “America deserved 9/11.” Imagine telling New Yorkers on September 12, 2001, that in 25 years their mayor would be linking arms with a radical Islamist activist who cheers on terrorists.

Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, meanwhile, has faced criticism after responding to a terrorist-style attack on a synagogue by saying “hurt people hurt people” and discussing the attacker’s personal grievances.

Mamdani and El-Sayed are hardly alone. Such instinct to excuse evil rather than simply condemn it should concern Americans. So should hearing crowds chant “Death to America” on American streets, or watching imams in Michigan pray to Allah to “kill every American,” or knowing that many Democrat cities are now offering “Sharia compliant” loans to Muslims.

Remembering 9/11 means understanding that tolerance does not mean blindness or weakness. Americans must continue to recognize the existential threat that political Islam poses and not be afraid to call it out.

3.    Do we still have the capacity for the unity the nation saw on 9/12?

One of the most enduring memories of the days following 9/11 is not fear, but unity.

Political differences suddenly seemed smaller. American flags appeared everywhere. Strangers helped strangers. Republicans and Democrats stood together on the Capitol steps. For a brief moment, Americans seemed to remember that whatever divided them, they shared a country worth defending.

It is uncomfortable but necessary to ask: Would we respond the same way today?

Would another national tragedy bring Americans together, or would partisan recriminations begin before the smoke cleared?

The unity of September 12 was befitting the sacrifice Americans witnessed on September 11. Twenty-five years later, remembering that spirit should challenge each of us to rediscover the things that bind us together.

4.    Have we learned the right lessons from the intelligence and security failures that preceded 9/11?

The 9/11 Commission famously concluded that the attacks reflected failures of “imagination, policy, capabilities, and management.” Intelligence existed, but agencies failed to connect and share crucial information.

America responded by creating the Department of Homeland Security, expanding surveillance and intelligence capabilities, and reorganizing the national-security apparatus.

But bigger government does not automatically mean better security.

Last November, an Afghan national admitted to the United States by the Biden administration opened fire on National Guard members just blocks from the White House. Clearly, there are still holes in the nation’s vetting and security protocols.

One reason for that may be that the intelligence community that became greatly empowered after 9/11 chose to use that power for nakedly political purposes. In 2016, Deep State operatives cooked up the “Russiagate” conspiracy to try to take down Donald Trump. How many terrorists escaped undetected because partisan bureaucrats were more concerned with a political witch hunt than protecting the country?

The lesson of 9/11 was never simply to collect more intelligence. It was to remain focused on genuine threats, share information effectively, exercise good judgment, and never allow bureaucracy or institutional distractions to blind us to dangers gathering in plain sight.

5.    What can we do to honor the memory of the fallen every day?

Perhaps this is the most important question of all.

“Never Forget” cannot be something we say once every September. It is a commitment to build a country worthy of the people who died that morning and the Americans who sacrificed in the years that followed.

Tell your children and grandchildren where you were on 9/11. Fly the American flag. Thank a firefighter. Support a military family. Vote for leaders who understand that freedom must be defended.

But perhaps most importantly, be a good neighbor. Help someone who needs it. Remember that our fellow Americans are countrymen before they are political opponents.

September 11 showed the world the terrible consequences of hatred. September 12 showed something more powerful – the resilience, courage, generosity, and fundamental goodness of the American people.

The terrorists sought to strike at the very heart of America. We ensure they ultimately fail by ensuring that America remains a beacon of freedom. We win every time we refuse to surrender to hatred and division, and every time a new generation learns what happened that day and resolves anew: Never Forget.