The National Day of Service and Remembrance, also called Patriot Day, was born out of tragedy. The terrorist attacks on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, undeniably hurt our country when the planes were deliberately crashed into the two tallest World Trade towers and the Pentagon in downtown Manhattan and Arlington County, Virginia, respectively. United Airlines Flight 93 was destined for Washington, D.C., but the bravery of passengers overtook the hijackers — albeit at the cost of their own lives — near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

But if we may be so bold as to take a line from the poem “Invictus,” we as Americans were “bloodied, but unbowed.” We did not cry “Surrender!”

We attended to the dead and the debris. We mourned … and then we rebuilt. Today a majestic tower stands 1,776 feet tall beside the footprints of the twin towers in New York City. The damaged portion of the Pentagon was repaired. A fitting monument stands to recall the sacrifice of Flight 93’s passengers.

Further, as a lasting memorial for all Americans everywhere, 9/11 was declared by Congress in 2002 as Patriot Day.

Let us today not only remember the attacks and the people lost, but more importantly how we came together as a nation to heal. This is also an occasion to reflect on current political and social divides from within, then work to mend those tears and again become whole and strong.