For Americans, September 11, 2001, will go down in history as a day the world changed. Like December 7, 1941, "the day that will live in infamy", the attacks on targets in New York and Washington will resonate throughout the nation.... In 1941, the Japanese air force launched itself against military targets on an island not yet a state in the middle of the Pacific. This morning's terrorism was directed at civilians, in perhaps the most densely inhabited chunk of real state in the nation's largest city.
- Michael Elliott, 9.11.01
Today there will be a number of people who will comment at great length about the continuing significance of 9.11 and the ongoing war against terror. I will not be among them. Normally, I have no problem in sharing my thoughts or opinions. On this day, though, my thoughts will be private. I will be remembering my friend Tim Haviland. On the morning of 9.11.01, Tim kissed his wife and two stepsons goodbye. Then he went off to work at Marsh & McLennan on the 96th floor of the World Trade Center, as he did every weekday. Tim never came home.
Michele Catalano has done a masterful job of collecting stories from many people impacted by 9.11. I highly recommend it. These folks have more to say on a day like this then I ever could. I'll be back tomorrow.
