How The American Unity Forged After Sept. 11 Broke Apart

NEW YORK (AP) — For a time, it felt like the attack that shattered America had also brought it together.

After the Sept. 11 terror strike, signs of newfound unity seemed to well up everywhere. But that cohesion feels vanishingly distant as the 15th anniversary of the attacks arrives Sunday, and some people impelled by the spirit of common purpose after Sept. 11 rue how much it has slipped away.

Jon Hile traveled from Louisville, Kentucky, to volunteer at ground zero after the attacks. The experience inspired him to become a firefighter.

He remembers it as a time of kindness, when people understood "how quickly you could feel vulnerable."

A decade and a half later, he thinks that feeling has changed. He says he wishes Americans "truly remembered like we said we'd never forget."

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]