I was at my desk in the office tower of UBS in Stamford where I worked at the time. It was a beautiful September morning, Tuesday, and we were getting ready for another busy day. The morning routine was in full swing – breakfast at my desk, warm coffee by my side, coworkers filing in, computer up and running and I was going over my emails with the vigor and conviction that only a nice warm fall morning brings.
I heard my boss talking to someone that a plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers. As we were on one of the higher floors of the building we had a direct view of the New York City skyline. I instinctively looked in that direction and saw thick black smoke rising from one of the twin towers in the distance.
The world would never be the same again.
We all remember where we were when we heard about the tragedy that struck our shores on September 11, 2001. It’s one of those moments that will be stamped in our minds forever. I can still hear the silent screams of the souls that were senselessly lost that day, echoing from the TV footages of the falling towers, the burning Pentagon and the crater in rural Pennsylvania.
We were all in shock, dismay and deep sadness, mourning our lost friends, family members, compatriots. But we were never in the depths of despair. No. Our nation, the strongest, bravest, smartest nation in the world responded as only we can – with our heads held high. Our resolve was invincible and our determination was inspiring. We got back to work – to protect ourselves, to guard the world, to rebuild our buildings, to show everyone that we are the best bunch of people on the planet.
Ten years later, we are still waiving our flag high – with pride and honor. Yet, we must never forget what made us the envy of terrorists and fundamentalists all over the world – our civility, our democracy, our freedom. In the past few years, as our economic engine choked a bit and our standard of living was and still is seriously challenged, the level of debate has sometimes been louder than it should have been. Recently, our passions started to get the better of us. The biggest reason for our political system to be arguably superior than any other in the world – our ability to compromise – has been seriously challenged on both sides of the aisle. All of us, as well as our politicians, should not forget who we are and what makes us the best democracy in the world – the ability to argue while listening and respecting each other.
We live in a new world where life will never be the same again. Yet, our nation will persevere as it has time after time. Not because we are all the same, but because we are all different and our diversity is our strength. Something that the terrorists would never understand.
And now, 10 years later, we will remember all those who we lost that day and all our soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. We will thank all men and women of the police and fire departments, first responders and everyone else that keeps us safe day and night. We will thank all agents of the CIA, FBI and agencies that we’ve never heard of, who work around the world to protect us. We will hug and kiss all our loved ones and tell them how much we appreciate them for being next to us.
We will take a moment to remember.
Then we will get back to work. Because that’s what we, Americans, the best nation in the world, do.
We vowed that day to ‘never forget’ and I know we never will.
