I always have trouble finding the right thing to say on this day.
We all have our stories of where we were on the 11th of September 2001.
I have my own story, but perhaps today isn’t the day to share it. I find days like today are meant for listening. Listening to the experiences of those who lived it in New York and Washington, D.C., the city I now call my home. Perhaps most importantly, I listen to the silence and remember the emptiness left by the gaping hole in the New York City skyline.
And naturally our thoughts move to aviation and the perversion of innovation meant to bring people together, not tear them from our lives. After eight years, it still pains me that something that has brought much joy in my life was used as a vile weapon.
Though I try not to think of the pain, fear and uncertainty of that pristine September day, but rather the courage, unity and the sense of sacrifice and purpose that took hold in the days that followed.
On this day, I take pride in the city that I call my home. I take pride in the city that welcomed my grandparents to Ellis Island almost a century ago. I take pride in the country that provides me the right to speak and write freely.
Let us never forget.
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.