As the sun creeps up towards the horizon outside my window, I am thinking about the terrorist attacks of 9/11: a terrible day in American history, a devastating day for those who died and their friends and families. Today is November 15, 2019. The date has no direct link to 9/11, only in how it starts--a sunny morning with beautiful blue skies: a seemingly normal day. I studied terrorism as an undergraduate, and I am reminded that the root of the word is "terror. " The reach of terrorism is long: violent acts create fear in people who are actually safe, it has them question their own security without any real threat--days, years, even decades later. As we near Thanksgiving, I am thankful for our military and for the civilian women and men who defend our country, and for our first responders who risk their lives for people they have never met. Americans united after 9/11, and we saw the strength, respect, and courage of our fellow citizens. I guess any day is a good day to remember those we lost and those who protect us.