Monday, September 11, 2006
Dear Friends:
Today is the fifth anniversary of the deadliest attack ever on United States soil, a day that we will always remember as “9/11.” It was one of those rare moments in time that we will each recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard the shocking news about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Everything changed on September 11, 2001. Our country mourned for the nearly 3,000 Americans who tragically lost their lives on that day, and for the loved ones of the fallen. The week was eerily quiet – no airplanes roamed the skies of our nation, and water cooler talk was somber. Images on television and the Internet replayed video footage of the planes that took down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the smoke-filled air of portions of the Pentagon destroyed by a hijacked airliner, and the remains of yet another hijacked plane near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, United Flight 93, believed to be bound for our nation’s capitol, also linked to the attacks. Many businesses closed down for the day, and games of our national pastime – baseball – were postponed for reasons other than weather.
But our nation rebounded, and as Americans, we emerged stronger than ever. So that we indeed never forget the significance of that day, Arizona now has a permanent memorial to September 11, 2001 in Wesley Bolin Plaza, for those of us who can recall where we were at that very moment, and for generations to come who were not yet born or old enough to remember. The structure is the work of the Governor’s 9/11 Memorial Commission, which has worked tirelessly over the past several years to raise private funds from individuals and corporations to pay for the building of the memorial. On September 11th of every year, a portion of steel from the World Trade Center, taken from the site of what came to be known as “Ground Zero,” will be illuminated by sunlight at exactly 12:00 noon. Also included in the structure is soil from the site of Flight 93’s crash, and a piece of the Pentagon damaged on that day.
I am hopeful that in the coming weeks, months and years, each and every one of you will take the time to visit the memorial, whether on 9/11 or any other day. I think you will find it is a fitting and thoughtful tribute to the Americans who lost their lives on 9/11/01, and to the strength that we have built since. I urge you to share your experience with your fellow Arizonans, and encourage others to visit and remember.
Yours very truly,
Janet Napolitano
Governor
Monday, September 11, 2006
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