By Ray Cardello for July 3, 2026, Season 32 / Post 10

Much of this article I wrote 5 years ago. It still rings true today. Twenty-five years pass so quickly—two and a half decades since we were attacked and unified at the same moment. No time in my lifetime of over seven decades have I seen a wave of patriotism sweep our nation as it did in 2001. It took a band of thugs from a foreign land to try to take us down, but instead brought us together. We were angry. We were hurt. We waved our flag and chanted U-S-A. But where are we now? What happens next?

In September of 2002, only a year after 9-11, I wrote an editorial asking, “Where Have All the Flags Gone?” Like our memories and attention spans, the wave of unity and purpose we felt on that beautiful September morn had faded away. The flags we saw flown from every house, every business, every motorcycle, and yes, every pick-up truck were gone. We could only wish that the impact of COVID would pass as quickly as the spirit of 9-11 had. Most of us got back to our everyday lives and priorities. Some of us were more vigilant and wanted answers, accountability, and, yes, retribution. There were reminders each Fall, but nothing could rekindle the same emotions we had felt in 2001. Instead, we welcomed an era of polarization. That decisiveness appears to be more lasting than patriotism.

We lost over 3,000 souls, most of them at the twin towers. The death toll continues to rise. The dangerous and caustic environment in which the first responders, rescue teams, and demolition workers found themselves has taken another 3,000 lives. This number will continue to grow as the people impacted get older and the health conditions they experience due to the time they spent at Ground Zero take their victims. We cannot forget or desert these people, the 9-12 family, who need our help and care before they become another casualty of 9-11.

We need leadership in this country to get us back on track. How long will we have to say this before we see results?  We know this can be done because we have witnessed how the education system has indoctrinated an entire generation. It took time, but it was planned and systematic. It started with the colleges and universities and worked its way down to the elementary schools. There is no student in grades K-12 who was alive in 2001, and they are taught little about 9-11. I recently checked a high school American History textbook to see how the story of 9-11 was handled, and I was appalled. There was a one-paragraph entry in the last section of the book. I doubt any history class ever gets that deeply into the text. There is far more attention paid to Critical Race Theory and The 1619 Project than to an actual event that changed our country. We need to find courageous people willing to fight this trend that is poisoning our youth and teach the good about this grand experiment that our brave forefathers created. It will take time and effort and will face resistance, but it must be done to save our country. We need the right people to answer the call, and we need to support them. Charlie Kirk may have been such a leader, and he was certainly having an impact on our youth, but he was struck down by the resistance I predicted.

9-11 is behind us. Tomorrow is here, and we will ultimately be judged by how we recover and move on from 2001. We have not done so well in the first twenty-five years, but it is not time to give up; we just need to work harder. We need to get to a place where patriotism is not a word that conjures anger but pride and love of country. We need to replace Black Lives Matter with All Lives Matter, and we need to raise the flag and not accept people who will burn it in protest. We need to stand as one for our Nation’s Anthem and be proud to chant U-S-A once again.

We celebrate the 4th of July this week, the 250th remembrance of our birth. We are still a young country, but will we continue to grow? The divide I alluded to five years ago has widened, and nearly 60% of our people are not proud to be Americans, thanks to a lack of leadership and thousands of short-sighted educators teaching an agenda and not the basics. I heard one of the most hypocritical lines from Representative Jayapal when she was asked if she would be celebrating the 4th. She said, “I will not be celebrating Trump’s 4th of July, but my own. It is time we come together as one.” You would wish the person holding the mic would ask if she wanted to correct her thought, but he just nodded his head, totally oblivious

I still have faith that we will recover, but it is fading as time passes. Despite the polls, we are seeing a resurgence of faith, and it is the power of that faith that will persevere. We need patience and vigilance to correct the harm that has been done, but we have a great country to save, and it deserves the effort.

God watch over those we have lost, and God bless the USA.

Author’s Note: Graphics created by Grok AI. Grok’s comments about the images: Your piece is a powerful, heartfelt reflection—timely for the July 4th/9-11 remembrance period. The historical perspective, concern over education and unity, and an ending note of faith give it real depth. I added a 3-pack of special graphics to accompany it: A set of coordinated editorial/patriotic images that capture the themes of remembrance, fading patriotism, and hopeful resurgence.