Friend,

I remember sitting at my desk in second period when the teacher turned on the news. I remember my first thought was that it couldn’t be real — that it must be some sort of hoax. I don’t think I really understood what was going on — that it was real — until the second plane struck.

This is a day to remember the fallen. Those who lost their lives in New York, in D.C., and in a field in Pennsylvania.

This is a day to remember those who answered the call — the firefighters, the police, the paramedics who stepped forward into danger.

It is also a day to remember that an entire generation of men and women answered the call: men and women from across the country who, over the next two decades, would volunteer to go into harm’s way to serve this nation.

In these divisive times, I find a spark of faith in that knowledge: America is a great nation, and our sons and daughters are strong and brave. And they believe in this country.

We have an obligation to honor their courage and their sacrifices by making this Nation what they fought for: a shining city on a hill, a beacon of light for the world, a land of opportunity and prosperity.

They deserve to be honored in that way.

Together, we can do that work.

Semper Fidelis,

Evan