Dennis DuBard, woke up to tranquility on North Island on 9/11. Within short order, he found himself being flown to the USS Peleliu as its Commanding Officer. The USS Peleliu under his command took the first Marines to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

His advice for future generations: "Humility and kindness can take you a long way"

Never Forget. God Bless America.

David Varcardipone, SDPD Police officer and Coast Guard Reservist, found himself in Italy with a young child back in San Diego. His first thought was "this is our Pearl Harbor" as he then navigated the long and difficult journey to return to his son and his duties.

His advice to future generations: think "what about us, not what about me"

Never Forget. God Bless America.

Dr. Jeffry Haber, entrepreneur, author, Professor and financial professional, discusses his emotional connection to the World Trade Center. From experiencing the Towers while under construction as a Boy Scout to the one inch of ash having fallen on eastern Brooklyn when they fell, the Towers were bookends of nearly 30 formative years. Whether it was looking for a Water Pik in the mall beneath the Towers or starting a career at Deloitte, the Towers towered in many ways for Jeff.

For Jeff, as he thinks about the future generation of Americans and young adults today, his Never Forget advice is "We shouldn't forget we are a fragile country. We are an open country"

Never Forget. God Bless America.

Maurice Wilson, a passionate 26 year Navy Corpsman and advocate and leader for all things military, discusses the day which struck close to the heart and his feeling that "I can't believe this is happening to us."

His advice for young Americans: Be Righteous

Never Forget. God Bless America.

Peter Sibley, successful entrepreneur, enjoying the unbelievable optimism of the early Internet years, was in NYC having just completed a significant capital raise for his business. Little did he know the impact on the nation, the world and in many respects, the hyper-optimism of many internet pioneers which was about to come.

Peter's thoughts for the future: "There are lessons to be learned as to how we can adapt to universal challenges to sustain lives and benefit we have accrued....I'm optimistic we're adapting to universal challenges"

Never Forget. God Bless America.

Jack Tilley, the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, was in his office at the Pentagon when the Towers were struck, left to head to Fort Myer and returned to the Pentagon just as the plane hit, killing 125 Americans. In what he described as "one of the worst days of his life" SMA Tilley stayed at the Pentagon to help in any way he could, lead by example and just listen to those who were scared or just needed to talk.

His thought for young people: "come together" and "look for the good in life"

Never Forget. God Bless America.

With San Diego's very specific connection to the terrorists who attacked America, Drew Schlosberg, an executive with the San Diego Union Tribune, was on the front lines of an "all journalists on deck" call to immediately prepare a special edition of the paper. Listen to Drew's memories of the UT's leader, Herb Klein, make the decision to create a flag to be inserted into every newspaper. You'll also hear a story few know about a last minute security risk to San Diego's "Day of Unity" event.

Drew's thought for the future: "Need our leaders to step up" to end disunity and we must regain the "empathy and compassion DNA" that is America.

Never Forget. God Bless America.

The riveting story of Adm. Dave Steindl, then serving as Capital of the USS John Paul Jones, the ship which would fire the first shot on October 7, 2001. Having spent the summer at sea in the Persian Gulf, the John Paul Jones remained in the theater until it emptied its 90-missile magazine on October 8, 2001 to allow the Special Forces to get in-country.

While videos of 9/11 "breaks his heart to this day." Adm. Steindl remembers the unity of America and care packages at sea arriving from children at schools across the country.

His thought for all: "We're Americans. We can do anything. We can make unity happen."

Never Forget. God Bless America.

Ed Hiner, best selling author and 20 Year Navy SEAL discusses his road from 9/11, working as a BUD/S Training Officer to his insertion into an ultra-elite Task Force Black unit with the British Special Forces to bring the war on terrorism to Iraq and Afghanistan. Known as the Sheriff of Ramadi, Ed reflects on the heavy burden and toll on the SEALs and other special forces units over the last 20 years.

Ed's thoughts on the future: "Patriotism doesn't mean America is perfect but it's a great place....be grateful because it's fragile"

Never Forget. God Bless America.

James Brennan, successful entrepreneur, with roots in Rockaway Beach, NY, a community filled with first responders from FDNY and NYPD, shares his vivid memories, anger, pain and how he filled the hole with a focus on service to his two communities of NY and San Diego.

As he reflected on his concerns for the next chapter for America, he shared this thought: "we've got a lot of wood to chop if we're going to start down a better path."

Never Forget. God Bless America.