Nine years ago today, we watched our television sets in horror as multiple terrorist attacks took the lives of almost 3,000 people.

The collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York, the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 over Pennsylvania and the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Washington were burned into our collective memory.

Over the course of nearly a decade there have been many memorials and tributes to those who fell on Sept. 11, 2001. But none are more significant than the service of young men and women who continue to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan each year.

Last week, three Huntington police officers again joined those ranks.

Scott Hudson, Rob Stinnett and Paul Matovich are all members of West Virginia National Guard's 130th Airlift Wing, and all have served in Afghanistan before. This time they will be working together with air deliveries of supplies and equipment to troops on the ground.

They are hopeful the increased surge in Afghanistan will be a success and they understand their role in that effort.

"You realize there is a sense of purpose," Stinnett said. "There is a reason why you're doing it, and it's extremely important."

We observe the ninth anniversary of 9/11 today amid political and social controversies from the proposed mosque in New York to threats to burn the Quran in Florida. They may trouble and divide us, but we can agree on the gratitude we owe to the thousands of service men and women, such as Hudson, Stinnett and Matovich.

In our busy lives, it is easy to forget about those conflicts abroad, but especially today, we should remember the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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