Reflections on 9/11

I was in my office in Manhattan on that Tuesday morning in September 2001 when terrorists flew two of the four commercial airliners they had hijacked into the World Trade Center's north and south towers. There was a clear sightline from our midtown office, so I (along with so many others) watched in horror as the twin towers fell. But my connections to that day run much deeper. As many are already aware, both of my brothers were New York City Firefighters who were among the many first responders who rushed to the Trade Center site. Although both survived, my younger brother eventually succumbed to a 9-11 related illness eight years later.

There have been so many stories shared over these past 19 years about what happened on that day that I sometimes fear there is a risk that we will become desensitized to the event and that the meaning of that moment may get lost in the retelling. Despite that concern, I thought it important to share three brief stories that may help to place the events of 19 years ago into proper context today.

The first relates to the accounts of first responders to the appearance of those who were in close proximity to the World Trade Center as they looked to escape the devastation. Everyone was so covered with dust, soot and ash from the collapsing buildings that their clothes and faces were unrecognizable, yet they helped and comforted one another as they walked arm-in-arm. There was no black or white on that day; nor were there rich or poor.

The second story comes eight weeks after 9-11 and has been forgotten by many. After having suffered such devastating losses during the Trade Center attacks, there was a view that first responders would be reticence to react so quickly to future emergencies. But on November 12 when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor Queens in what many thought might be another terror attack, firefighters, police officers and EMTs never hesitated for a moment and instead rushed to the scene to render assistance, provide comfort and lend support.

The third story relates to the attack on the Pentagon. When the building was being evacuated, about 40 Marines rushed into a daycare facility and brought a group of infants and toddlers to safety. With no one there to direct them, the Marines took it upon themselves to place all the children safely in the center of a circle and then formed a perimeter to protect them. There they remained guarding over the children until their parents could be notified and come to retrieve them.

So as I reflect upon what this day means for us in 2020 and what lessons we may draw from it, I am reminded of the following: that the color of our skin is less important than the content of our souls; that the courage of first responders can never be tempered or tamed; and that acts of selfless service lie at the very core of the citizen-soldiers who comprise our military. I wanted to share this because it is sometimes helpful to reflect back upon prior moments of truth to remind us of who we really are as a people…one people.