Reflecting on 9/11: Letter from the editors

We can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow, this ground.

Trying to comprehend the events of 10 years past, to record them in all their effects and comment on them with good sense, seems as impossible and as futile as trying to wrap our arms around the missing buildings themselves.

As today's staff editorial (see page A4) points out, for most current Columbia undergraduates, the attacks came midway through our lives. For the generation born in the early 1990s, one day of terror divided a childhood of peace and security from an adolescence of turmoil and war. The events of that day, not of our own making, made us.

With that in mind, we offer you stories of September 11, 2001, and the ten years thereafter: the experiences of the EMTs who rushed to the scene, and of the young girl who watched from half a world away; the radio station that went dark, and the soldier who came to see the light; and the Columbia graduate whose death, ten years ago, continues to inspire works of hope and goodwill.

We have done this because, in spite of all we cannot do, we can remember. We can—as a city, as a University, as individuals—rebuild.

We're here with you.

Sincerely,

Samuel E. Roth
Editor in Chief

Michele Cleary
Managing Editor