Thursday was the 24th anniversary of one of the most harrowing days in United States history: the terrorist attacks that took nearly 3,000 lives here on American soil.

The events of that day are etched in the memory of anyone old enough to recall the hijacked planes crashing into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. with another airliner driven to the Pennsylvania ground by passengers who sought to foil the terrorists.

The effects, of course, continue, with responders who went to the sites suffering ongoing health consequences, families of the murdered still mourning and a nation still wondering how such dreadful events could have happened.

As has become tradition, a commemoration took place at ground zero in New York. We hope each of our readers took a moment to remember those lost on that terrible Tuesday in September 2001.

Moreover, we would like everyone to thank those who work to secure our safety and well being, from the volunteer firefighter next door to the police officer at the nearby station to the men and women in the U.S. military, standing at the ready far from home.

While 24 years have passed, the horror of that day still seems fresh. Perhaps it always will, because we will never, ever forget what happened.