09/11/2026
Twenty-five years ago today, our nation lost nearly 3,000 people, including 11 of our own neighbors here in Montgomery County: William Caswell, Gerald P. Fisher, Capt. Lawrence Getzfred, Michele Heidenberger, Angela Houtz, Teddington Moy, Lt. Darin Pontell, Scott Powell, Todd Reuben, Patricia Statz, and Ernest Willcher. They were parents, children, spouses, friends, and coworkers, and they are still loved and still deeply missed.
I think, too, of the brave first responders who ran toward danger while everyone else was running away, including Montgomery County’s own search, rescue, and emergency personnel who deployed directly to the Pentagon and Ground Zero. So many of them are still carrying the heavy physical and emotional toll of that service.
What has stayed with me most is how this country came together in the days that followed. We stood shoulder to shoulder, leaning on one another and showing that our character is defined by quiet courage and profound decency. We must never allow this tragedy to harden us, to fuel hatred, or to sow suspicion among neighbors who share this same home. When fear threatens to pull us apart, our responsibility is to hold tight to our best instincts: to welcome the stranger, protect each person’s right to worship and belong, and choose everyday kindness. That enduring solidarity is how we honor the lives lost, reflecting the very best of who we can be.
