For Americans of all ages, this week brings personal reflection and public discussion of a day that was a national turning point. Five years ago, terrorist hijackers used four passenger planes as weapons against our country. About 3,000 people died in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania from those attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. On Monday’s anniversary, designated as Patriot Day by Congress, flags fly at half-mast.

President George Bush suggests that Americans observe the day with ceremonies and activities, including remembrance services and candlelight vigils. In middle schools and high schools, classes examine topics such as ethnic stereotyping, religious tolerance, immigration policy, conflict resolution and the Iraq war. In print and broadcast media, the anniversary provides a touchstone for special coverage.

Although 9/11 initially seemed to unite most Americans as victims of a sneak attack, inevitably that has changed. Now the anniversary is a focal point for the kind of diverse opinions that reflect a vibrant democracy. In that sense, the sometimes-heated debates about politics, military policy, government secrecy and media coverage show that a vital part of American life was not a casualty of that dark day five years ago.

President says: “The extremists have not given up on their dreams to strike our nation. . . . Five years after 9/11 America still faces determined enemies. And we will not be safe until those enemies are finally defeated.”

Educator says: "What was under attack on 9/11 was not so much the symbols that were the buildings, but they were the values and the principles that unite us as American citizens. It is vitally important that our students learn just what those values and those principles are." -- Ted McConnell, director of the National Campaign to Promote Civic Education

Student says: “I learned a lot [that day]. I learned anything can happen at any given moment. That was the biggest day of my life.'' -- Byron Mitchell, 10th-grader in Sarasota, Fla.