CLB (Political and Transit commentary)

It is hard to believe 25 years have passed since 9/11. For the families who lost someone that day, those 25 years have meant kids growing up without a parent, parents living without their sons and daughters. People are still suffering to this day. That’s why we never forget. Within hours of the Twin Towers falling, Guardian Angels made their way down to the Pit alongside hundreds of volunteers who came from across the country, many arriving late at night simply asking how they could help. Our Angels joined the bucket brigades, removing debris piece by piece, by hand. Heavy machinery and the vibrations it caused could threaten already unstable buildings nearby. There was little protective equipment and we had no idea what the toxins in the air would ultimately do to so many who were there. But people kept coming. Guardian Angels stayed at nearby Stuyvesant High School and worked overnight on the pile, giving exhausted first responders a chance to leave for a few precious hours. To shower. Change their clothes. Eat something. Get some sleep. Then they would return and continue searching. I also had the opportunity to join first responders at the Staten Island landfill, where the debris from Ground Zero was transported. Men and women in hazmat suits carefully went through it with tiny rakes, searching for anything that could identify a victim and bring some measure of closure to a family waiting for their loved one to come home. The Guardian Angels continued working at the Pit for months. It was the horror of our lifetime. But in the absolute worst of times, we saw something about this country that I will never forget. People came from everywhere. They didn’t ask who you were, where you came from or what you believed. They just asked how they could help. Twenty-five years later, I remember the victims. I remember the first responders. I remember the volunteers. And I remember all those who became sick in the years that followed. September 11th brought a nation together that Dared to Care. May we never forget those we lost, and may we never lose that spirit again. 🇺🇸