How do few Americans need to be reminded that today marks the eleventh anniversary of the worst attack on American soil to ever take place? September 11, 200, opened many eyes to the very real fact that we are just as vulnerable here on our home soil as we are abroad. Thousands upon thousands were affected directly whether through loved ones lost during the attacks or through their after effects. Businessmen and women, servicemen and women, firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurse… people from all walks of life were affected that day in one way or another.
Americans were not the only ones affected either. The towers and the planes used in the attacks held citizens from many other countries as well. Not only was it an attack on America – it was an attack on the world as a whole.
While social media hadn’t fully developed when the attacks happened in 2001, today it is a different story. Private citizens and government agencies alike are taking to the different social networking platforms to send out their memorials, special prayers, well wishes, and more. The New York Police Department is a major example of such. Since Saturday the 8th, the agency has been using Twitter to send out the name and rank of each fallen officer through the NYPD Twitter account (@NYPDnews). Each of these tweets has included a link to a personalized Facebook page that includes a bio and photo of the officer. Also included is a hashtag – #neverforget.
This is perhaps one of the most poignant reminders of what was sacrificed on that day eleven years ago. Needless to say there will likely be many more such memorials take place all across the social media realm today as well as through the rest of the week. While there may be a few who question such a use of agency time and resources, most will likely feel the love and dedication that the NYPD shares with each of its officers – past, present, and future.
Those who gave it all they had and then some are true heroes. Winston Churchill said that “All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.” These everyday heroes certainly embody all that is great in this country.
Here at Posse Social Media, we would like to send out a special wish – a wish that everyone who has lost loved ones in the 9/11 tragedy find the peace of mind and spirit that they so readily deserve. We ask that everyone who reads this take a moment out of their day and remember those that were lost as well as those that have been affected in the aftermath of the attack.