Eyewitnesses to 9/11 need a new generation of Americans to remember.

Dr. Ming-Neng Yeh, MD, is a resident of The Bristal at York Avenue in Manhattan and on the morning of 9/11/2001 would treat survivors.

Every September 11th we New Yorkers are reminded that it doesn’t matter where you were born, what language you first spoke, how many years you have resided here, or your occupation. September 11th reminds us that we are all proud Americans whose embrace of democracy, diversity, and freedom is the reason why our city, and our nation, was targeted by terrorists 23 years ago. All of us represent the strength of democracy, and that very fact was the motivation for mass murder.

Yet the profound meaning of the day is beginning to fade as a new generation of New Yorkers stands on the verge of assuming the role of leading our city. They have little connection to the events of 9/11. They never experienced the long shadow that touched every one of us in Manhattan that day or the health-related aftershocks that continue to claim New Yorkers literally every month. They may pass neighborhood fire houses without appreciating the grief that still resides among first responders. For too many of the emerging generation, it may just be another date on the calendar.

If that is true, we will have failed the memory of the 2,996 New Yorkers who lost their lives that day, as well as those Americans who died at the Pentagon, and those who perished when their hijacked jet crashed into an open field in Pennsylvania.

In addition, we will have failed to remember that America, our America, came together, regardless of politics, race, color, or creed, and responded as one. And that lesson is more important now to recall and embrace.

To ensure that we never forget the courage and sacrifice of our fellow citizens on that day, the current proposal to make 9/11 a national day of remembrance should be approved unanimously by Congress and signed by the President.

Doing so will ensure that, for generations to come, Americans will join together in remembering those who died because they lived in a land that celebrates freedom, honors diversity, and repudiates the hatred that drove the terrorists to commit mass murder.

More than a date, 9/11 is a defining moment in American history when our nation came under attack because of our shared commitment to an ideal. Today, all of us, whether we came to this nation seeking freedom and democracy, or were born on these shores, need to ensure that now and for the future, our fellow Americans will pause, honor, and remember the date September 11, 2001.