The legacy of 9/11, 19 years later

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For many, it was a day where people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when Al-Qaeda coordinated the biggest terrorist attack against the United States.

Immediately after the attacks occurred, Americans demanded someone to pay for lives lost and, as a result, that’s how the War on Terror started.

According to the BBC News, it is estimated that the war has cost the U.S. over a trillion dollars and over 2,400 troops have been killed in combat. Around 12,000 soldiers are still stationed in Afghanistan.

The legacy of the War on Terror is not about the fight against those that need to pay for what happened on 9/11 but rather it’s about the longest war in American history with no end in sight.

Yet, it’s hard to believe that the adolescents of today entering the military to fight this war only know 9/11 as an important date to remember in their history class.

According to “Teen Vogue,” the military markets to adolescents, particularly those in poorer school districts, because the armed services need a large population, and the sooner young people join, the more likely they are to stay.

Not only has the War on Terror negatively impacted the youth of the U.S. but it has heavily impacted the people living in the Middle East. 

Children and elders live in fear of the countless bloody battles happening right outside of their homes and, in some instances, inside of their houses. Due to that fear, many families in these war zones are left to make a very difficult decision and that is to leave their homes.

According to The New York Times, at least 37 million people have been displaced by America’s War on Terror in less than 20 years. That’s about 1.85 million people every year since 9/11 losing their homes because of the myriad of wars waged by the U.S. in the Middle East. 

It’s evident that this war needs to end but it’s even more clear that there’s not a quick and simple solution in sight.

So what can we do?

What we can do as citizens of the United States is to not lose sight of the sole purpose that the War on Terror was created for: to bring justice and peace to all the lives lost in the events of 9/11.