Honoring the Post-9/11 Generation of American Defenders
Source: "MIKE PENCE: We must honor the Americans who fought back after September 11 | Fox News." September 11, 2026. www.foxnews.com
The Gist
Mike Pence argues that 25 years after 9/11, Americans should honor the huge sacrifice made by service members, first responders, and law enforcement who changed America's approach from just responding to terrorist attacks to actively preventing them. He says the fact that no major attack has happened on U.S. soil since then proves these defenders succeeded, and that success came at a steep human cost that deserves national gratitude.
Conclusion
On the 25th anniversary of September 11, America must remember and honor the generation of servicemembers, first responders, and law enforcement who transformed the nation's posture from reactive to proactive against terrorism, thereby preventing another catastrophic attack on American soil.
Premises
- Before 9/11, America's response to terrorism (Beirut 1983, Lockerbie 1988, WTC 1993, embassy bombings 1998, USS Cole 2000) was reactive—mourning, investigating, and moving on rather than preventing future attacks.
- September 11 broke this reactive rhythm, as first responders and passengers on Flight 93 showed a new resolve to actively fight back rather than merely respond after the fact.
- In the aftermath, nearly three million American servicemen and women deployed in the wars that followed, with more than 7,000 giving their lives to destroy terrorist sanctuaries and hunt down al-Qaeda leaders including bin Laden.
- American forces and allies later destroyed the ISIS caliphate, liberating vast territory and millions of people from its rule.
- Beyond the battlefield, law enforcement, Border Patrol, air marshals, and figures like the 58 FDNY children who followed their fallen fathers into service have continued protecting the homeland domestically.
- The absence of another catastrophic attack on American soil for 25 years is direct evidence that these defenders succeeded, not because enemies stopped trying, but because defenders stopped them.
- This sustained peace and security was earned through the sacrifice of those who died, were wounded, or continue to serve, and deserves the nation's active remembrance and gratitude.
Assumptions
- The absence of a major attack since 9/11 is primarily attributable to proactive American defense and military action rather than other factors (e.g., changed terrorist capabilities, luck, or other geopolitical shifts).
- The post-9/11 wars and interventions were net effective in reducing terrorist threats to the homeland, despite their costs and controversies.
- Public memory and gratitude are at risk of fading and require deliberate reassertion, especially 25 years after the event.
- The shift from 'reactive' to 'proactive' counterterrorism policy is a coherent and accurately described historical transformation.
- Honoring defenders through remembrance is a meaningful and appropriate civic response, distinct from debates over the wars' policy merits.