Sept. 11 Daily News editorial

Flags are flying at half-mast across the state today to mark the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue is holding a ceremony at 6:50 a.m. to honor the memory of all those who lost their lives in the attacks.

We should also take this occasion to honor the memory of those servicemen and women who have lost their lives since 9/11. Their sacrifice is directly linked to that tragic day eight years ago. And we should be mindful that others continue to risk life and limb in our service today, even as the memory of 9/11 fades and public attention turns from the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to domestic concerns.

Nine days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks, with smoke still pouring from the ruins of the World Trade Center and Pentagon, former President George W. Bush went before Congress to outline what he termed a “war on terrorism.” He warned that the campaign would be long and painful, requiring at least as much resolve as any war in the nation’s history.

The campaign has, indeed, been long. What at first seemed quick and decisive military victories in Afghanistan and then Iraq failed to produce the stable, terrorist-free democracies planners had envisioned. American troops continue to take casualties in Iraq, after six years. The war in Afghanistan is in its eighth year, and is heating up.

This so-called war on terrorism certainly has proved painful. But the pain is largely felt by those members of our all-volunteer military who wage this campaign, and their families. Accordingly, the national resolve Bush spoke of, though still unbroken, has been mightily strained with the passage of time.

An August ABC News-Washington Post poll found that 51 percent of Americans now believe the war in Afghanistan isn’t worth fighting. Associated Press writer Michelle Roberts reported this week that public concern about economic matters eclipses concern about the wars. Roberts cites a July AP-GfK poll showing that about 60 percent of Americans rate the wars as extremely or very important, while 91 percent rated the economy as extremely or very important.

Roberts spoke with a 25-year-old West Point graduate, Capt. Sam Brown, who continues to suffer painful treatments for burns he received in Afghanistan a year ago, when a bomb blew up his Humvee. He told Roberts it feels as if many Americans have “kind of moved on.”

This wounded soldier’s words ought to give all of us pause on this day of remembrance.

Nearly 130,000 American troops are fighting in Iraq. Around 62,000 troops are in an increasingly hard-fought battle against a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan. At least 6,000 more American servicemen and women will join them by the end of the year. People may question the wisdom of continuing the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. But as long as the wars continue, the men and women waging them on our behalf deserve our full attention and support.