15 years later
This month Lutherans around the country will reflect on the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa., remembering where they were and what they did when they heard the news. The stories from that fateful morning live on today with no less significance than they had 15 years ago. Following are six stories of faith summoned amid tragedy, a faith that promises resurrection and gives hope for today.
The tragedy isn’t the end While a lot has changed in the 15 years since 9/11, some things are still too
familiar for Daniel Nigro, commissioner of the New York City Fire Department and member of Church of Our Saviour Lutheran, Manhasset, N.Y. “We are still attending funerals on a regular basis,” Nigro said. “We’ve lost
127 people since 9/11 to 9/11-related illnesses. We are regularly dedicating plaques in firehouses. It has never ended for us.” Nigro was appointed chief of the New York City Fire Department on Sept.
16, 2001, after former chief Peter Ganci was killed in the collapse of the second tower on Sept. 11. Nigro retired as chief in 2002 and was appointed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as commissioner in 2014. “For all too brief a period of time, the city and country came together
because of this tragedy and it was very heartwarming,” Nigro said, reflecting on the days immediately following 9/11. “It wouldn’t hurt for us to be unified again in that way today.” Regarding the 15th anniversary of the attack, Nigro said there is
uneasiness in the fire department every year surrounding Sept. 11. “Every anniversary is pretty much as sad as the last,” he said. “There’s a
certain anxiety that comes over the summer for most of us who had a personal involvement as the anniversary approaches. Tension rises as the date comes close. I don’t think that will change for the 20th or 25th anniversaries either.” Nigro’s faith and church community have helped him stay strong amid
the tragedies he’s witnessed and his changing leadership responsibilities. “It’s always comforting to be around other folks who care about you, and
the church is a good place to find those people,” he said. “I have faith that there is something bigger than us, better than us, even in terrible times. The tragedy is not the end. The end will be something much better than that.” As the head of the largest fire department in the country and the second
“We have an optimistic faith. Easter is our big day, celebrating rebirth, which is a good thing to think about when times were as bad as they were after 9/11,” said Dan Nigro, New York City Fire Department commissioner and member of Church of Our Saviour Lutheran, Manhasset, N.Y.
26 SEPTEMBER 2016
largest in the world, Nigro’s leadership comes with immense responsibility, which is especially prominent during 9/11 anniversaries. “As tough a day as it is, for me I’m proud to now be the commissioner of
this department and I will do the best I can this year to get us through it,” he said. “I think that each year we should try to concentrate not on the awful tragedy but the families who suffered loss, those who still lived that day and are still deeply affected by it. Tell them that we care, that we are there for them and that we have not forgotten them.”
By Megan Brandsrud Brandsrud is a content editor of Living Lutheran.
Photo: Courtesy NYC Fire Department
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52