World Trade Center

"Letters From a Broken Apple," an illustrated story of New York on September 11, frames the day with a personal perspective:

• At the beginning of a monumental tragedy, no one really knows what to write.
  
  
• Maybe we start with the sirens.
  
  
• Or maybe we start with the rescuers.
  
  
• The only planes in the air are military - the F16s.
  
  
• What has happened? It is beyond belief.
  
  
• Friends and family frantically call each other: "Are you okay?"
  
  
• Two friends have not checked in. Are they okay?
  
  
• America shakes in her "collective skin."
  
  
• Heroes steer people clear of collapsing walls and throat-clogging ash.
  
  
• In fact, heroes are the first thing we notice.

What we take from remembering the tragedy is this: "We the people" will prevail because the country stands together during times of national crisis. And our heroes - men and women who freely risk their lives for others - will always be gratefully honored.