Make Sept. 11 a day of remembrance, not a federal holiday

Recently, I was asked whether 9/11 should become a national holiday. As a 9/11 witness, veteran and social studies teacher, the answer for me hinges on a more important question: Would it help current and future generations remember the events of that tragic turning point in our history?

The question of remembering 9/11 has shaped most of my life. Born in Northport, I attended college in New York City and was there when the attacks took place. I felt an intense ambivalence when I finally boarded a train home — relief for being able to get out of the city, fear for not knowing whether we were safe. After we emerged from the tunnel and into the sunshine, I saw an old gray Korean Church bearing an inscription in gold from the Book of Lamentations: “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by.” I began to cry. It was not nothing. This meant something. In that moment, my life would forever be bound to what had happened.

I became a history teacher to help my students see why remembering matters. I began teaching at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington and then at Northport High School, satisfied that I was fulfilling my civic responsibilities and doing my part.

Yet, there was a sense I needed to do more. After receiving tenure, I took a leave of absence to enlist in the United States Navy. In 2011, I deployed to Marjah, in the Southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. Ten years after 9/11, I took part in Operation Enduring Freedom, our nation’s response to the attacks.

When my service was completed, I returned to the classroom in Northport High School. With close friends and colleagues, I helped draft a curriculum for a course focused exclusively on 9/11, and since 2014, I have been teaching the class to enthusiastic, caring, and passionate students dedicated to the memory of that day. I am consistently humbled and inspired by these teenagers.

Congress has already designated 9/11 as a day of observance: Patriot Day. It could be made a federal holiday, which technically would only apply to federal employees. Likely, many nonfederal employers would follow the federal government’s example and observe the holiday.

That said, it still does not address my litmus — remembrance. Memorial Day is a federal holiday and for many it is not about remembrance. Rather, it has become the kickoff to summer with barbecues and beach parties. As a veteran, I have mixed emotions regarding the celebration of this holiday and that informs my answer to the 9/11 holiday question: 9/11 is not to be celebrated. It is to be observed with reverence. It is to be solemnly remembered.

Rather than a holiday, a continued day of observance seems appropriate and fitting. I would only add that Patriot Day should include a national call to service. In remembering the courage and heroism exhibited that day in the face of evil and cowardice, young people should be encouraged and guided into some kind of service for their country. I believe this should be an integral part of every citizen’s education.

My hope would be that this would inspire the coming generations to reject the polarizing nationalism of the day in favor of a genuine and thoughtful patriotism that would help to heal the many divisions in our country today. My prayer is that in remembering Sept. 11, 2001, we would be recapturing the deeply patriotic spirit of Sept. 12, 2001.