OPINION:
This week marked 22 years since radical Islamic terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, killing 2,977 innocent people. We must never forget the events of that day, who carried them out and why.
Our freedom threatened the terrorists. They targeted the centers of our political and economic power: Washington and New York. They wanted to strike terror in the hearts of Americans.
Instead, they brought us together. “United We Stand” was more than a line on a bumper sticker — it was a real emotion shared by people from every background across our beloved country.
To remember those who lost their lives that day and honor those who fought to save them, Young America’s Foundation started the 9/11: Never Forget Project two decades ago. Each year, we help college and high school students organize memorial displays of 2,977 American flags to honor each of the victims. Our foundation has helped students plant more than 14 million flags since the project began in 2003.
Every student in high school and most in college who participate were born after Sept. 11, 2001. Our obligation is to educate them about what happened that day, those behind the attack and why they chose to target America.
On Monday morning, I joined part of our team on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol as we pushed American flags into the ground. We gathered around when the first airplane crashed into the World Trade Center.
In recent years, many schools have objected to the 9/11: Never Forget Project. Our memorials have been targets of vandalism. A member of student government at one campus even ripped up all the flags, tore them to pieces, and shoved them in the trash.
That anyone would object to the placement of 2,977 American flags to commemorate the lives of each of the innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks is a vivid reminder we have so much work to do to protect our freedom in the United States. It is why President Biden’s absence from any of the Sept. 11 memorials this year is an absolute disgrace to the American people.
Two years ago, Mr. Biden pulled our troops out of Afghanistan just before Sept. 11. It was a foolish move on multiple levels. Regardless of your opinion of the necessity of an official U.S. military presence in the region, the way in which the withdrawal was done was awfully close to treasonous.
The Biden White House claimed military officials recommended the withdrawal. As far as I can tell from people familiar with operations in the area and my own visits to Afghanistan in the past, this was not recommended by the military brass.
Instead, it seems like Mr. Biden himself demanded our troops be gone by the end of August 2021. That forced them to draw down and choose between guarding Bagram Airfield or the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
The horrific images of American citizens and our allies desperately trying to fly out of the airport in Kabul provide clear evidence that proper military planning would maintain a presence on Bagram Airfield. Tragically, 13 U.S. service members lost their lives in this weak withdrawal.
On top of it all, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin observed the weakness, which likely led to his decision to invade Ukraine. President Ronald Reagan often spoke of peace through strength. Well, the opposite is also true — weakness opens the door to evil.
Now we learn the Biden administration negotiated the release of five American hostages by giving Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, access to $6 billion. The deal with Iran is a bad plan on any day, but it is pouring salt in the wound when the details of the plan are released on Sept. 11. What an insult to the brave men and women who have served, fought and died for our country while waging the war against terrorism.
One of my friends mentioned the flashbacks that occurred after seeing the images of Taliban terrorists reenacting the scene of U.S. Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima during the Second World War. Seeing them pose with American military equipment made him sick and likely triggered post-traumatic stress disorder for many of his fellow service members.
As time goes by, it is more likely that Americans will overlook what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. Equally important, they will likely not learn who did it to us or why they did it.
We must never forget.
• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019.
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