Dear Friends,

Twenty-one years ago today, our nation was struck by unimaginable tragedy. The decades since may have blunted the grief and horror, but the monumental loss of life and sense of vulnerability shook the country to its core. For too many in our area, the loss was deeply personal. We will never forget our many neighbors who lost their lives that terrible day. We will also never forget the first responders who answered the call or the military and intelligence professionals who continue to fight terrorism around the world.

On September 11th, 2001, I was working in lower Manhattan. I remember coming out of the subway and seeing hundreds of people standing in the street looking up at the World Trade Center as it burned. I remember the fear of watching the Towers fall and wondering what attack would come next.

But I also remember how the city and the country came together that day and in the weeks that followed. In the face of incomprehensible tragedy, the American people reached out to each other in open kindness. There were lines of people giving blood, volunteering, checking in with each other.

Today we remember the victims of the attack and their families. But we should also recognize every person across the country who stood up in that horrible moment, by rushing into a burning building, offering a bottle of water or checking in on a neighbor.
At our core, we are a nation of sisters and brothers. I hope that in this divisive time we can rekindle that sense of family, and be a little more compassionate to one another.

Sincerely,

Jim