Sep 11, 2026 · 23 min
9/11 remembrance meets a new test of U.S. strategy
The Nation Remembers 9/11
The episode connects the enduring human costs of September 11 with the military, political, and economic pressures shaping current conflict.
- 1National ceremonies revisit the attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Flight 93 while honoring victims and first responders.
- 2Retired Colonel Trey Morris recalls moving from civilian life to B-52 combat missions supporting operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
- 3Steve Yates examines Iranian threats, possible influence operations, and the pressures constraining U.S. strategy and the war’s timeline.
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Trey Morris recounts being called from civilian life to active duty and flying B-52 combat missions in Afghanistan after 9/11.
The brief
The anniversary coverage remembers the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93, while previewing memorial ceremonies across the country.
Retired Air Force Colonel Trey Morris describes learning about 9/11 as a civilian, then rapidly entering active duty to fly B-52 missions in Afghanistan.
Morris connects his unit’s Afghanistan service to New York first responders, giving the military response a personal dimension beyond its operational history.
The episode then turns to Iran, examining damaged U.S. aircraft, possible influence operations, and the political and economic pressures surrounding the conflict.
Steve Yates weighs Iran’s diminishing leverage against the uncertainty of the war’s timeline and the administration’s domestic constraints.
Featuring
Afghanistan
United StatesListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.