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The NFL has made league-wide plans to remember 9/11 on the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks that changed our nation forever. When the Redskins host the Giants on Sunday, one of the men who played a key role in the United States’ adjustment to our new reality will have a key role in paying tribute to those who died that died.

The Redskins have announced that former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will be the team’s honorary captain.

Also, 150 family members affected by the terrorist attack on the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., along first responders from Arlington County, will be honored before the game. The family members and the first responders will hold, with players from both teams, an American flag that covers the entire playing surface during the singing of the National Anthem, by Ne-Yo.

At a time when excitement is building for the start of the 2011 regular season, it’s important that we all reflect on the suffering caused by 9/11 — and on the sacrifices made by so many Americans after that day to help keep us secure over the past decade.