Zubkoff is a senior at San Diego High School, serves as an intern in the office of Mayor Todd Gloria and is a current Aaron Price Fellow. He lives in Point Loma.

Twenty years ago, our parents, grandparents, teachers and older siblings witnessed the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in the history of the United States. I am part of the first generation born after 9/11, but I am not too young to recognize how much the world changed in its aftermath. When reflecting on the tragic events of that day, Ive noticed many people recall the sense of unity that followed. In their mourning, Americans came together to heal, joined by a shared devotion to our founding principles. In the wake of this terrible attack, America recommitted itself to defending liberty and upholding justice.

Yet looking back on the past 20 years, it is hard not to see betrayal of those ideals at every turn.

Even before the dust had settled, the Bush administration set out seeking vengeance, a vengeance that would shape much of the Middle East. The Iraq War, predicated on lies about weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Husseins non-existent ties to al-Qaeda (not to mention an alleged U.S. interest in Iraqi oil), saw the deaths of thousands of American servicemen and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians over eight years. It was one of the single greatest assists in the Islamic States rise to power. It was a war we never should have been in, and one of two that the government justified using 9/11.

The war in Afghanistan was our generations Vietnam. The Bush administration, followed by those of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, actively withheld and sometimes even fabricated information about a war we have slowly been losing for 20 years.

There were successes such as the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and driving the Taliban from their seat of power yet 20 years after the war began we found ourselves hastily evacuating U.S. personnel as Taliban forces swept through the country almost unopposed. We leave Afghanistan at the mercy of the Mujahideen, with over 2,000 soldiers killed in action along with tens of thousands of Afghan civilians.

In our rush to punishment, America lost sight of the value of justice. Programs and policies like the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) made racial profiling a key aspect of the governments counterterrorism strategy. Operations like the Guantanamo Bay detention camp reached the lowest of lows. Detainees who had not yet been convicted of a crime were subjected to torture, drugging and even sexual assault in the name of justice. It goes without saying that these abuses were unconstitutional, remain illegal, and will forever be wrong.

I have learned about 9/11 and the legacy we have made of it. Of young men denied trial and representation. Of tens of thousands of first responders with respiratory diseases and cancer only just recently offered compensation. Of the sacrifices of brave Americans in foreign wars the government knew we could not win. We must do better, to honor the victims and to honor the vision of what America should be.

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Opinion: After 9/11, Americans recommitted to liberty and justice. Today we've lost those ideals. - The San Diego Union-Tribune