The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, took place 24 years ago, a lifetime for many New Yorkers. To our younger generation, it may be history, but to those of us who were there, those memories are as sharp as glass, as expansive as that blue September sky.

We remember the terrible reality of the fallen towers and thousands of lives lost, but also the powerful patriotism that united millions of New Yorkers in the day, weeks, and months afterward. From the first responders risking their lives to the thousands who walked home through the dust and smoke, New Yorkers were bonded by tragedy, and the world was with us. We helped each other, held each other, saved each other. Even as the rubble smoldered, a spark of hope was burning brighter.

As mayor, and a life-long New Yorker, that is what I think about when I remember September 11, not the fear and the terror that sought to divide us, but the strength and solidarity that brought us together as a nation. The greatest thing about New York City and America was how we responded to........

© Newsweek