Silence has strength. Often times silence is more powerful than words. Today I have decided not to remain silent.
That’s Terry Thames, an American Airlines pilot, hanging out of the cockpit window. This is the first American Airlines flight returning to Washington Dulles after the skies were reopened four days after 9/11. The photo was featured in the book, Reclaiming the Sky, by Tom Murphy.
I can’t stop staring at the photo and thinking about how great it must have felt to have hung that American flag across that airplane when it finally came home. I love that photo. Maybe because it’s one of the few taken at that time depicting strength, not sorrow. Which is exactly what many of my colleagues, as well as our passengers, radiated when they walked on board the airplanes and soldiered on days after our world completely changed.
Last year on this very day I wrote a post, 9/11 – That day, about what had happened to me eight years ago and how it still affects my colleagues and I today. The best part about the post were the readers comments, all so full of hope and strength. I didn’t want to write another 9/11 post. Really, I didn’t. What more could I say? But then how could I not? I’m a flight attendant. If I don’t write about it, who will?
A few days ago I logged into Twitter and typed, “We will never forget,” and then I pressed send. The message went to @planesofthought, an organization that collects thoughts and turns them into paper airplanes that will cover New York City’s skyline to remember the lives lost on 9/11.
After that I wrote, “I’m looking for interesting 9/11 stories. How it may have changed your life in a positive way.”
No one answered back. Not one person. The silence was deafening.
Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: 9/11 – WE WILL NEVER FORGET
Heather Poole 
I had the same issue with writing a post on my blog for September 11th also. If I don’t write something, who will, but my post was much more brief and succint. What could I write that hasn’t already been written? But I had to write something. I told myself on Friday that I’m fighting back by living my life and letting nothing scare me into a hole. All we can do is live, a slap in the face to those that simply want us to die.
Next year I’ll have something good to write…. I figure I’ll keep it up until the 10 year mark. If I can. At least I’ll try
I was a passenger on a flight into Reagan-National the second day (I think) that it reopened after 9/11. Something about doing that made me feel that life was a little under control again.