There are lessons that we learned 25 years ago today that are too important to be so quickly forgotten.
Today is the 25th anniversary of the day we call 9/11, as thousands died when planes struck the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon with a fourth crashing in a field in Pennsylvania.
We learned many things about ourselves and our place in the world that day.
We warmly welcomed 38 planes to Gander, Newfoundland after they shut down U.S. airspace, providing a safe place to land and temporary homes for seven thousand frightened passengers. Despite our differences today, a special ceremony is being held in Gander today as we remember the important of friendship and helping those in need.
Ground Zero in New York is the focus of a somber series of speeches and a moment of silence as we honour those who lost their lives and also those who continued to rebuild and recover from this devastating attack. Some lives ended, with others forever changed.
The years that followed would see major political upheaval, a realignment of our most treasured international partnership, wars, grief and lingering illnesses for many who just learned that officials covered up the toxic nature of the disaster zone in New York City.
Most of all, we learned things we must never forget.
Freedom isn’t free, it is constantly under attack in one way or another. Our shared humanity is stronger than the differences between us and must always be more powerful than any border.
And while most ran away, some rushed in to save lives at the cost of their own. Their courage is on display every day and not just once a year, for which we should be truly thankful.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
