September 11, 2001. We Remember.

Six years ago today, as the world watched in horror, terrorists struck and changed our lives forever. Dastardly attacks, unprovoked and unexpected, brought the world to a stop. At the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in the fields outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the lives of nearly 3,000 men, women and children were taken from us. Earlier today, at AFSCME's headquarters in Washington, D.C., we paused on this sixth anniversary to remember those we lost on that fateful morning. We paused to say a silent prayer for those who left us too soon, brothers and sisters whose memory will always be with us.

Within moments of the attacks, amid the smoke and rubble, thousands began the tough and painful work of searching through the debris, staffing crisis lines, providing food and shelter for survivors, and help and comfort for those who had lost loved ones. Firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, 911 operators, transit workers, nurses, hospital and health care workers, city engineers and air traffic controllers sprang into action on September 11, and in the days and months that followed. Many were AFSCME members. They did what AFSCME members always do. They are always there when tragedy strikes or disaster threatens. They make America happen. We will always be proud of them.

Father Mychal F. Judge, a New York Fire Department chaplain and member of AFSCME Local 299 (District Council 37), was among the first on the scene in New York City. He died at the World Trade Center administering last rites to a mortally wounded firefighter. Paramedics Carlos Lillo and Ricardo Quinn, both DC 37 members, braved the horrors in Lower Manhattan to support rescue efforts. They too gave their lives, as did Chet Louie, an AFSCME member who worked a second job at the World Trade Center, and five members of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)/AFSCME Local 1000 -- Yvette Anderson, Florence Cohen, Harry Goody, Marian Hrycak and Dorothy Temple -- who worked for the state Department of Taxation and Finance in Tower 1.

In the years since 9/11, we have learned that those who died on that day were not the only ones who would be taken from us as result of the attacks. We remember workers such as paramedic Deborah Reeve, a member of DC 37 who searched for survivors alongside hundreds of fellow AFSCME members during the recovery operations in New York. After waging a two-year battle with mesothelioma, which develops after exposure to asbestos, Paramedic Reeve passed away on March 15, 2006; she was 41 years old.

Tragically, we now know that thousands of other rescue and recovery workers at the World Trade Center have suffered serious medical problems, including lung infections, respiratory problems and cancer, as a result of the air they breathed while working at and around Ground Zero.

On this sixth anniversary of 9/11, we are reminded of all we owe to those who place their lives on the line in the service of our county and our communities. We think of Father Judge and Paramedic Reeve and all those who died because of their work on that fateful day and in the days and years that have followed. We have lost too many brave and valiant souls -- brothers and sisters who gave their lives in service to others. Our hearts go out to their families, to their colleagues, to their friends. We know they are missed, today and always.

Comments

[Boris]

I don't know what to think of 9-11. I live thousands of miles away from New York. I dont think I knew anyone of the thousands whose lives were taken away and the families who have suffered because of it.

Do punks like Geo. W and Giuliani have the right to embellish their careers over this incident?

Does 911 signal the world that we are a helpless giant that no one needs to fear?

How can we fight over building a monument to the greatest disaster in US history? The actions of some New Yorkers fighting over what to do disgusts me, personally. I dont understand the selfishness of some of the interested parties.

If we leave the whole area as a memorial, is it a sign we cant move on?

Is it time, yet, to quit feeling sorry for ourselves and move on, showing to the world that we will not and cannot let 911 define America?

I am sure I will regret this post but this is what is on my mind.

[Plowboy]

There was horror at the tragedy. There was heroism by the firemen. And there was some strange behavior by our president and his administration.
It was, to tell the truth, not our finest hour. And for a month thereafter, our good and great MSM gave us nno news at all, but the TV showed the flag and repeated the slogans, and so on. Some noticed. But some of us berhaved like .... well, frankly, like Americans!

[FlowerGirl]

I remember a government telling us a lot of lies. And I remember the media going along with them, never challenging them with truth.
I remember wondering how those demolitions were so perfect -- especially the untouched third building (Building 7.)
I recall wondering about the haste to gather and destroy all the evidence of what happened.
I still remember a lot of contradictions.
I don't remember any Iraqi involvement, nor any Iranian.
I don't remember if Bush finished the book or not. Not that it matters now.

[eljay]

At the time of the attacks, I worked with a girl who grew up in Iran. Her family moved/fled here when she was 15. I asked her how the whole situation made her feel..really knowing nothing about her or her family, if she was Muslim, or how "american" she considered herself. She told me that while she felt bad for everyone who lost loved ones and that yes, it was a terrible tragedy she also felt that americans were finally getting a taste of what it's like for a better part of the rest of the world. Death, horror, and loss were a way of life for her growing up. It made me think how naive, arrogant, and sheltered we are here in the US. While I too feel bad for all who have lost and all who continue to lose as a result of the attacks, a part of me still whispers "We had it coming."