Americans observe a tragic and sorrowful anniversary today, eight years after terrorists attacked the United States on its home soil.
There is so much loss, most profoundly for the families who lost loved ones in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on United Flight 93 over the skies of Pennsylvania. The rest of the nation mourns for them and for what we all have lost, a past when most of us felt secure in the blind faith that we would always be safe as long as we were at home.
This year, Pennsylvanians have reason to look forward to the 10th anniversary in 2011, when a permanent memorial should be completed to the citizens who, in their most vulnerable, final moments, acted on behalf of others.