By Patricia Horoho
This column originally appeared in The Tampa Bay Times on September 9, 2025.
There are moments in life so powerful, so searing, that they never leave you. For me, September 11, 2001, is one of those moments. More than two decades later, a certain smell, a certain sound, can instantly carry me back to the halls of the Pentagon that morning.
I was a lieutenant colonel then, standing in my office just 150 yards from where the plane would strike. When the building shook violently, swaying back and forth, I felt a strange, unnatural calm. I ran toward the chaos, toward the smoke and fire.
What I saw will never leave me — a gaping hole in the Pentagon, debris scattered everywhere, terrified men and women rushing to escape. And yet, in the midst of that horror, something else unfolded. People — military, civilian, strangers to one another — instinctively turned back to help. Individuals gave us their belts to make tourniquets, and we found anything we could to keep people alive. Rank didn’t matter. Job titles didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was saving others.
Twenty-five years later, I still remember that feeling of unity and pride as I witnessed the very best of humanity that day. America revealed its heart: selfless, united, unbroken, even in grief. The next morning, I stood there as firefighters unfurled a massive American flag over the side of the Pentagon. Amid the wreckage and heartbreak, it was a symbol that we would not only endure but rise together. It was clear why we were called the United States of America and I knew our enemy underestimated the American spirit and determination.
I have carried that moment in my heart ever since. And yet, as we approach the 25th commemoration of 9/11, I feel an ache, a fear that time is eroding the memory of what happened, and what it taught us about courage, compassion, and unity.
Millions of Americans today are too young to remember that morning. Some have never learned about it in school. Others only know it as a date in a history book. That is not enough. The lives lost, the heroes who emerged, the lessons we swore to keep alive — they deserve more than fading recollections or empty words.
That is why I serve on the organizing committee of the 9/11 Legacy Foundation. We exist to ensure that “Never Forget” does not become just a slogan but a living promise — a promise to remember, to educate, to unite. Our mission is to honor the fallen, lift up the heroes, and make sure every generation understands not just what happened that day, but why it matters still.
In 2026 on the 25th commemoration, our nation has a chance to do something extraordinary: to come together once more — not in tragedy this time, but in remembrance and resolve. We must mark that day not only with ceremonies, but with action — teaching, serving, and standing shoulder to shoulder as Americans, just as we did on that terrible day in 2001.
For those of us who lived it, 9/11 is not a story we read in a book. It is a day we will carry forever. My hope, my mission, is that every American, no matter their age, will carry it too — not out of fear or anger, but out of love, gratitude, and a shared commitment to one another and to this great nation.
It’s time to make “We Remember” more than words. It’s time to make it a promise we keep, today and for generations to come.
Patricia Horoho is the founding president of 2Serve Together (2servetogether.org), which recognizes and supports women veterans. She is also an executive consultant and serves on numerous boards, following her recent retirement from leading healthcare organizations. A retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General, Horoho served as the 43rd Surgeon General of the United States Army and Commanding General of the United States Army Medical Command.
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