It was a day most of us will never forget, nor should we ever.

As I walked the halls of my high school on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I heard people talking about a small plane that had crashed into one of the iconic World Trade Center towers in New York City.

A lover of all things aviation since a young age, I was baffled as to how a pilot could not avoid one of the tallest buildings in the country.

Moments after the bell rang and math class had started, another teacher burst into the room to tell the classroom of freshmen that a second plane had struck the other tower.

I assume everyone has a moment they can look back on as when their adolescence ended, and that was mine.

Upon hearing the news, our teacher ran down the hall and returned moments later with a television on a cart, plugged it in and turned on the national news coverage.

The horrifying images turned my world, and that of so many others, upside-down.

Before that day, terrorism was a word I had heard but never gave much thought, let alone understood.

Even 14 years later, the results of that day are still having an effect on the world.

Saddest of all, the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks of 9/11 were just the beginning.

Wars and revolutions, which trace their roots back to that day, have taken the lives of untold thousands if not millions of people across the globe.

Soldiers from the United States and other nations have taken the fight to those who wish to carry out attacks on us.

Admittedly, there have been missteps in what we call the War on Terror — too many too count — but as the anniversary of 9/11 approaches again, we need to be resolved to continue the fight to destroy groups determined to cause harm.

Those who have served in the War on Terror deserve nothing but our upmost respect and thanks for their sacrifice.

The men and women of our armed forces have selflessly served and protected our country to ensure another large-scale attack does not happen.

Those whose lives were taken on 9/11 deserve to be honored and remembered no matter how much time passes.

The names of our enemies and the groups the fight for have changed, but the need to take the fight to their front door is as necessary today as it was 14 years ago.

Jay Sowers is the photo editor for Gulf Coast Media. To reach him, please email jay@gulfcoastmedia.com