Reflecting on the anniversary of
September 11, 2001
September 9, 2022
Written by: Robert L. Santos, Director
This Sunday marks the anniversary of September 11, 2001, also known as?Patriot?Day. This day is incredibly profound for our nation and for me, as I expect it is for you, too. Twenty-one years later, the tragic events of this day are indelible memories. We will never forget the suffering, the lives lost, the vulnerability we felt when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93. Nor will we forget the closeness we suddenly felt to one another as a unified nation, as fellow Americans. We realized we were all neighbors, we were compatriots. We stuck together, looked out for one another, and helped each other process the magnitude of what had occurred.?
The events of 9/11 brought out the best in many of us. Everyday people became heroes. And first responders became superheroes. So many sacrificed their lives for others. Some years ago, I worked on a research project on firefighter safety during which I was assigned to accompany firefighters for a full shift in an FDNY station in Manhattan. I worked on this project with my friend and fellow researcher Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, then at the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and now the U.S. fire administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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