| Dear John,
This week marks the 23rd anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. I hope you will take a moment of silence on Wednesday to commemorate the 2,977 victims we lost that day.
As a witness to the destruction at ground zero, one who lost friends that day, as well as in combat, and to suicide, this day has a special place in my heart forever. It changed my life. Many members of the CVA team made sacrifices over the last two decades, because of those attacks. But every one of us, every American has been deeply affected by the events that day.
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
This quote, attributed to Plato, carries real meaning for we who fought and lost brothers and sisters in war.
America has been at war for over two decades and it is not just September 11th victims and veterans who have suffered. From the attacks, through combat deployments and post 9-11 veterans’ suicides we have lost over 40,000 Americans.
It seems sometimes like we also lost our national unity. Our sense of what it means to be not just an American but Americans. America is deeply but unnecessarily divided. Every American I know, truly wants what’s best for their families, their friends and their neighbors. We disagree, often, on how to do what is best. But HOW we are disagreeing is no longer healthy.
In the days immediately after, Americans came together in a way we have not seen since. Let us remember that day in reflection and dedicate a few moments to the memories of all those who fell that day and, in the years, following, in the spirit of that unity in the days immediately after.
In Service,
John Byrnes Strategic Director Concerned Veterans for America | 
