This September, the National Society and our states and chapters will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This is a unique commemorative event for Daughters as all but our youngest members were alive on that fateful day. None of us will ever forget where we were when it became apparent the United States was under attack and that our daily lives were forever changed. Many of our Daughters lost friends and families that day or in the subsequent military actions, and we honor their sacrifices and their grief.

I encourage every Daughter to include reading the 9/11 feature in the September/October 2026 issue of The Daughters’ Portico in her personal commemoration of this recent history. In addition to this article by Samantha Chery being an excellent historical account of what happened that day at our own DAR Headquarters—located next to the White House, now known to be the destination of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in a final act of heroism by its passengers—there are two underlying themes in the article you might not immediately pick up on.

The first is family. As a human resources professional, I can tell you it is absolutely remarkable that The Daughters’ Portico team was able to connect Samantha with so many current DAR employees who were working at our headquarters on September 11, 2001. Our headquarters staff is critical to our mission, and as you read their remembrances of that day, when the sky shone so blue yet the world was so dark, think about their contributions to our service to America and their important role in our DAR family. Those of you who have had the opportunity to interact with Larry Walker, our director of security, will particularly appreciate hearing his recollections.

The second is leadership. April Watkins Barrett, the daughter of the late President General Linda Tinker Watkins, shares her memories of that day and the actions her mother took with Larry to protect the DAR staff, the DAR Headquarters, and our many treasures. No President General can predict the challenges she will face during her administration; there is no possible way Mrs. Watkins could have fathomed she would lead DAR during this terrible loss of life on U.S. soil or that our building would come so close to destruction.

But, as the Scottish poet Robert Burns famously wrote in “To a Mouse”: “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men / Gang aft agley.” Whether we are a chapter regent, a committee chair, or an executive officer, we are called to lead in the circumstances we are dealt. No matter what challenges we face, there is something within each of us that can make us the right leader for the moment—provided we lean into those strengths and stay focused on our mission without being deterred by noise or divisiveness. This fall, may we remember the unity and the call to serve that defined the American character following our darkest hour. P