Never Forget

On the 24th Anniversary of 9/11

Twenty-four years ago, the United States was forever changed.

I remember exactly where I was on September 11th, 2001: in the mountains vicinity of Dahlonega, Georgia, at Ranger School. When word came down that planes had struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we initially thought it was part of a training scenario meant to test us under stress. When the cadre told us it was real, I knew the world had changed - and that America was going to war.

The 9/11 attacks ended the brief period of peace and stability that followed the Cold War. They propelled our nation into two decades of war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the globe in the name of fighting terror. I am proud of my service in those wars, proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with my fellow soldiers, and proud to have done my part on defense of the nation. The courage and sacrifice of our armed forces is a point of enduring pride for me.

But as I argue in my book The Folly of Realism, the War on Terror came at a strate…