Social media and the cable news networks are awash today with images of the World Trade Center crumbling on September 11, 2001. The words "never forget" appear frequently in my newsfeed. I fear that some have already forgotten.

It's hard to think that any American who experienced that day would ever be able to forget it. Many of us still remember the pain, the anguish, the anger. Some dust it off this time each year while others, like me, carry it deep within them each and every day. I am still angry. I don't know how to forget. I don't want to forget.

What I remember as vividly as the heartbreak of 9/11 is the hope of 9/12. I'd heard stories of how our nation, divided over its responsibilities to the world in the face of Nazi fascism, was drawn into World War II by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. America under attack is a force to be reckoned with. On 9/12, America was under attack and we came together.

Americans of all political stripes united to face our enemy. We held hands and lined busy streets while waving flags and singing of our devotion to our beloved but wounded nation. We gathered in parks, in churches, and at the recruiting centers. We cried. I still cry.

A realist, I knew that moment would be fleeting and I wanted to absorb as much of it as I could. I wanted to hang on to it for days like today when the feelings of pain, anguish, and anger ride waves of emotion in my heart, making it difficult to focus.

I don't know how to forget. I don't want to forget. I am still angry.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

More From WBSM-AM/AM 1420