Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001?

I realize that what I’m asking you to do may be uncomfortable, even painful.

I also realize that as a nation, we cannot allow ourselves to ever forget.

So today, on the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, I’m asking you to ask yourself, “Where was I?”

The range of events may or may not cover your lifetime. Nor will my selection of events necessarily match the ones that come to mind for you.

What’s important, what is vital, is that we, as a nation, take a moment to remember and reflect.

Recall where you when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor plunging the United States into World War II (1941).

Recall where you were when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated (1963).

Recall where you were during the Vietnam War (1965).

Recall where you were when Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated (1968).

Recall where you were when Iranian students took 90 people hostage including 66 Americans. (1979).

Recall where you were when President Reagan was shot (1981).

Recall where you were when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded (1986).

Recall where you were when you first saw footage of planes flying into the Twin Towers (2001).

Let us, as a nation, take a moment and resolve ourselves to never forget.

VICTOR KOLLOCK

Sandpoint