A generation cannot remember 9/11. We have a duty to make sure they learn

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, this country made an enduring promise to "Never Forget."

It was a promise made by those of us who witnessed the attacks. Twenty-five years later, it is now a promise we must pass down to those born since 9/11.

More than 100 million Americans are too young to remember 9/11. They know 9/11 as a moment in history books rather than a day that began with clear skies that were soon darkened by smoke and fear.

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These 100 million Americans are not all children. They are now firefighters and police officers. They are enlisted service members and officers carrying out missions reshaped by the 9/11 attacks. They are parents, neighbors and volunteers. And a great many of them now stand in classrooms as teachers and role models for our youth.

To put this in perspective, students starting high school this fall were born over a decade after the attacks. They might also be taught by someone too young to remember 9/11 or who wasn't even born yet.

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A quarter-century on, that is the challenge before this country, and it is addressed by the work we do every day at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum: making sure the promise to never forget does not fade.

Since the museum opened in 2014, more than 28 million visitors have passed through its doors. Increasingly, they come to learn what happened here because they didn't live through it themselves.

Inside, visitors see the names, faces and stories of the 2,977 victims. They see the things people carried that morning, like business cards and wallets. They take in the scale of the twisted steel from the towers. And they learn about what happened from the stories and firsthand accounts of people there that day.

They also experience the spirit of Sept. 12 and learn how our city, country and world came together in ways big and small in the aftermath of tragedy. Neighbors raised flags in solidarity. Volunteers came to Ground Zero to help any way they could. Schoolchildren visited their local firehouses. On Sept. 12, 2001, and afterward, we witnessed some of the very best of our country's resilience, caring and patriotism. People from more than 90 countries were killed, and people came from all over the world to help.

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But we know not everyone can come to us in Lower Manhattan to see these artifacts, hear these stories and experience the memorial and museum.

That is why we at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum are committed to bringing the legacy of Sept. 11 to students everywhere. We have developed student workshops, online programs, lesson plans and professional development opportunities to ensure educators are empowered and equipped to teach this subject.

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