09/11/2026
9-11: A Reflection
I was working in Europe and walking down a small street in Delft, Holland, with my friend Andre LeGallo, a former senior official with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who looked every bit the part. Quite tall, hard, and trim, just what James Bond wanted to look like—but this guy was real.
We walked by a store window selling TVs. Pictures flashed across the television screens. There appeared to be a commotion. It looked like New York, possibly, but we couldn't be sure: pictures of confusion and chaos, with commentators up front at the microphone trying to explain. Something was wrong at home: America was under attack.
We quickly made our way to the United States Embassy in The Hague and tried to gain entrance. It was in lockdown mode. No one was going in or out—no one. A very polite, friendly, clear-cut United States Marine met us, smiled, and said very firmly that, CIA or not, nobody was allowed to enter now. Nobody. We were denied entrance, as he should have done, regardless of the fact that he was speaking to one of the top former officials with the CIA who was making a serious request to enter our Embassy. His smile was as polite as his answer was clear! "No entrance is possible, nobody, sir!
Frustrated, we then made our way to my friend and colleague's home. His name was Paul Meerts, Deputy Director of the Clingendael Institute, an institute for international relations where I regularly taught courses. We hoped to learn more about the breaking news regarding America. Could it really be happening—another Pearl Harbor? Was America under attack?
We learned that two airplanes flew into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, a third airplane crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth plane crashed in a rural field in Pennsylvania during a passenger revolt.
Today, we remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost and honor the courage of the first responders, service members, and everyday Americans who answered the call in the days that follows.
When I look back at all those lives lost, and reflecting one message comes forward: What have we learned, if anything? I think about the men and women who lost their lives that tragic day, and who are still dying today from the debris. What have we done to make our world a better place? Have we really changed? Have we learned or grown as a people, a nation, or a world?
For me, as a psychologist and Arizona cowboy, it is clear: it is time to reflect, remember, rethink, and act for those who lost their lives. We must ask what we can do now to make our world a better, safer place for us all, so 9-11 becomes more than just a number in our reverie.
September 11, 2001 is not just a number in our history books; it is a number that should live in our hearts and minds every day as we strive to make our world better. We refer to the event by a number, of course, and it will always be an important number in our American tapestry and our history.
Today, as we reflect on 9-11, let it be a number that causes us to pause and then take action—real, substantive action—to make our world a better place for us all. It is not just a date but a calling and a challenge for us all. Let us answer that call now.
Let us never forget, and let us act in the spirit of those who have sacrificed and served our great land. May God bless our country, and may we honor that sacrifice with action. The American tapestry has many colors and space for many people; we must never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, twenty five years ago today. Let us remember them by making our world better and safer. May they rest in peace. Let us honor them now.
Barry A. Goodfield, Ph.D.
9/11/2026
