The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.

From FEMA's site, "The Heroes of 9/11" - this photo was selected to be featured in the section for children. Click the image to see FEMA's site.

I was not in New York that day. I was getting ready to drop my four-month-old baby off at my parents’ so I could go to a luncheon with my former co-workers, in honor of my having worked for the company. It was just pizza and beer, but they were a good group and I knew I would miss them.

The phone rang. “Do you have the TV on?” My dad asked. “No. Why?” “We’ve been attacked.” I said, “What do you mean?,” while the thought in my head was, “But it’s such a beautiful day!”

For the next I don’t even know how many hours, I watched planes fly into the Twin Towers, over and over again. I watched people jump from windows. I watched a billowing debris cloud rush through the streets of New York. I held my new baby close to me and prayed to God that I could somehow keep him safe.

For days afterward, we got new information; loss of life counts, images of crushed firetrucks, police cars, twisted metal frames of once proud symbols of American prosperity. We learned about Al Qaida and the magnitude of their threat to our way of life. We learned all about Radical Islam.

For those of us who passed off smaller attacks as isolated incidents by a group of crazy people, our eyes were opened. Suddenly, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murder of Leon Klinghoffer took on new meaning. Were we lifted out of some sort of fog, or did we plummet into one?

Stories of heroism started to emerge; noble deeds by first responders. We heard how the responders of FDNY ran in to the buildings with no regard for their own safety. We heard story after story. Stories began being featured in the news, in magazines, in specially dedicated periodicals. We heard a lot of the bravery of men and women that day; their selflessness, their sacrifice.

On the 10th anniversary of September 11, I want to acknowledge all of you, but I especially want to say thank you to the women of September 11. First, you fought for your jobs; you are a small minority in New York; women firefighters, police officers, EMS crews. But you are not a forgotten minority. You broke the ceiling, you won your positions, proved your mettle, and took positions on elite teams of responders. On September 11, 2001. gender didn’t matter. You fought beside the men to save the victims of that day, and became victims yourselves. Many of you lost co-workers, best friends, partners, and will never again close your eyes at night without reliving the horror you experienced that day. Some of you made the ultimate sacrifice for your fellow Americans. You had a job to do and you did it bravely.

I wasn’t in New York that day, and I wasn’t personally connected to any of the victims, other than that we are all Americans. But as an American, I am grateful for your sacrifice. As a woman and a mother, I want to believe that faced with what you faced, I can be as brave and unwavering in my commitment to my country and to humanity as you were that day.

Today, I will be in my small town in CT, but my heart will be at Ground Zero, on September 11, 2001. Today I will raise a toast to the families, the victims, the first responders, and the warriors who continue to fight for what we hold dear. I will thank President Bush for holding us together as a nation in the days and weeks that followed the attack.

And I will thank you, my sisters all, for what you gave that day, and in the years since. Our country cannot repay you for what you lost on that day; there is no price to put on it, but please accept my gratitude and my admiration as a small and humble start.

Sincerely,

Jennifer S. Zordan