The events of September 11, 2001 are forever with us. Whether we are old enough to remember where we were or have heard stories from family, friends and colleagues, we are reminded every year on the anniversary as the names of those we lost are read at the events commemorating the tragedy. We also have watched countless first responders and others who lived and worked at ground zero die from diseases caused by the event. In fact, nearly 2000 deaths have been attributed to post-9/11 illnesses and that number is sadly growing.

On March 1, 2003, the United States captured one of the plotters of the attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Many of us remember the picture of him being hauled away by intelligence agents from a hideout in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He was totally disheveled and reminded some of us of John Belushi. The global manhunt for al-Qaeda's number three leader had taken 18 months. But as the 21st anniversary of the attacks occupy virtually every news station, Mohammed and four other men accused of 9/11-related crimes still sit in the Guantanamo Bay prison, their planned trials before a military tribunal endlessly postponed. If convicted, Mohammed could face the death penalty, and as we all understand, these proceedings, like most death penalty cases, can take what feels to families of the victims a lifetime.