Dear John,

Today, many of us cannot help but remember the horrors of 9/11. Even twenty years later, that shocking day and the terrible weeks that followed are still fresh in my mind.

But we saw the best of humanity too, and I choose to remember the uncommon bravery we saw that day.

Pilots, flight attendants, and passengers protected each other and fought the terrorists where they could.

Everyday people helped pull colleagues out of burning buildings, sometimes risking their own lives to save perfect strangers.

Cab drivers and public transit workers helped get people away from Ground Zero.

Ferries, tug boats, fishing boats, tour boats, and even party boats evacuated half a million people out of Manhattan—a rescue operation larger than Dunkirk in World War II.

Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, construction workers, and transit workers rushed to Ground Zero — at first to save lives, then to help recover the bodies of loved ones. Even 20 years later, many are sick and dying after breathing in the toxic smoke at the Pile.

Today, we honor and remember the heroes we have lost, send our hearts out to their families and loved ones, and pledge to keep our promises to the heroes who are still with us, and to ensure they get the care they need and deserve. We will never forget their service or sacrifice.

Today, we honor the thousands of innocent lives that were taken from us on 9/11, and the thousands of first responders who are injured, sick, or have died from their illnesses as a result of their service. We hold their families in our hearts, and we will never forget them.

With love and gratitude,
Kirsten