I know many of you obviously heard the announcement this morning about 9-11. I don't know how many of you recognize the shirt that I'm wearing. All right, but this is from Born Primitive. You got to meet or hear from Bear Hanlon last year during the Patriot Night festivities. He kind of had a taped recording of essentially his thoughts on brotherhood and everything else.

I was able to type something down and something that I think is heartfelt and meaningful, especially because everybody sitting in this room, with the exception of the parents and myself and our coaches, you have no idea as to 9-11.

Read Also: Patriotism and Brotherhood: A SEAL's Perspective on Patriot Night by Bear Handlon

Twenty-four years ago...

At 8:46 Eastern, the first plane crashed into the North Tower of World Trade Center. At 9:03 AM, the second plane crashed into the South Tower. This, along with the flight that hit the Pentagon and the heroes that went down on plane 93 in western Pennsylvania, marked the first time that so many Americans perished at the hands of an enemy combatant on our home soil.

In just a few hours, 2,977 people lost their lives.

Of those 2,977

• 343 of them were firefighters
• 72 were police officers
• 8 of them were paramedics.

The events on September 11th, 2001 marked the beginning of our country's longest war, the Global War on Terror.

With today being September 11th, 24 years after that tragic day, I don't want to cast a dark shadow over our meal tonight, so I specifically want to talk about:

September 12th, 2001, one day later.

Here's a look back on that day, since the only people in the room, as I've already mentioned, are myself, our coaches, and your parents who remember September 12, 2001. The day after the towers fell, this country was noticeably different.

There were no strangers, no divisions, just Americans.

One people, one heartbeat. We weren't red or blue, city or country folk. We were brothers and sisters.

Candlelight vigils, prayer services, and gatherings took place everywhere.

People lined up for hours to donate blood.

Stores sold out of American flags.

Volunteers flooded New York City to search and dig in the rubble with their bare hands.

Songs were written. People reexamined what it meant to be a part of this country.

The civic participation we experienced 24 years ago was as high, if not higher, than it was in World War II. When the world expected us to break, we locked arms and we moved forward as one. That's what our veterans, our active military, and our first responders have always done. They don't fight for themselves. They fight for the man or woman beside them, for the mission, for the flag on their shoulder.

When bullets fly, they don't run.

They move together. They clear. They're focused. They are unbreakable. There is no room for ego. There's only team.

Every man or woman responsible, not just for him or herself, but for the man or woman next to them. They succeed together. They suffer together. And if one fails, they all carry that weight of loss. That's the standard. That's the mentality of those men and women. Currently, statistics are indicating that the vast majority of you will not serve in the military.

In fact, only 0.6% of our population is actively serving. And only 6.1% of all of the people in the United States right now have ever served. If these are the facts and the statistics, which they are, how can I even correlate to you what you're doing in the sport of football and how it correlates to what this small percentage of our population is doing? So I thought about that question and here's what I came up with. What you are a part of right now isn't just football, it's not just the game. It's bigger than that, it's a mission. And like any mission taken on by our very own elite special forces or even our conventional forces, it demands absolute commitment to each other, to the plan, to the outcome.

No excuses, no escape routes, just the job that needs to be done. On this field, your jersey is your flag. Your teammate is your brother. And this game, this fight, is your mission. Out there on the field, you are at war, make no mistake, but not with bullets, but against doubt, fatigue, pressure, and every force trying to break your will every single play. But like the brotherhoods forged in combat, real teams don't and won't crumble. They get stronger. The more it hurts, the more you lean on each other. The tighter the game gets, the more you trust the man to your left and right. That's not strategy, that's brotherhood.

Understand this, bonds built in conflict don't break.

The teams that go to hell and back together don't ever forget each other. When this season is over, what you will remember most isn't just the wins.

It's gonna be the blood, the sweat, the grind, and the men that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with you when you think you couldn't do it.

So tomorrow, as you step on that field with one mission, complete the objective. That's all it takes. Complete the objective. Not for yourself, but for that person next to you.

Because when it's all on the line, when it's fourth and inches or the clock is bleeding out, the only thing that matters is that you gave everything for that person next to you.

That's what separates teams from individuals.

That's what separates our veterans, our active military, and our first responders from civilians.

That's what makes them and you dangerous. What you build in battle will last forever. Brotherhoods formed in conflict are stronger than blood. When this season ends, remember the highlights, but also keep in mind the pain, the sacrifice, and the pride of knowing that you never folded.

Tomorrow night, carry that spirit.

Carry the spirit of September 12th.

Brotherhood.

Mission.

Pride.