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September 2002 |
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Scottish First Minister's Message for September 11
Before the service Jack McConnell is to visit Morrison Street Fire Station in the west end of the city, and in the afternoon there is to be a debate on the links between Scotland and the US in the Parliament. In a personal message First Minister Jack McConnell said: "Today with millions of people around the world, I am remembering all those who died in the attack on the twin towers in New York a year ago. "Each individual death left behind family, friends and work colleagues. In one act of destruction and unimaginable evil, thousands of individual tragedies took place. "Of course that terrible day is etched most strongly on
the minds of those who lost loved ones. But is leaves its mark too in the
minds and hearts of everyone who watched in horror as the unbelievable
events unfolded. "I can clearly remember watching television and seeing the second plane hit the tower. I had visited the World Trade Center and could visualise the windows through which ordinary people must have watched the aircraft approach. "To pay my respects from Scotland, I revisited the site in April. Standing on the viewing platform, I was stunned by a photo of a young woman, a victim on the day. She could so easily have been my daughter who had opted to spend her year out working in Canada rather than the States. "The faces that lined the platform were people from all over the world, young and old. Hard working decent, people whose random deaths we must never forget. "At that moment in April, when I looked up to where the towers had been, I had a fleeting glimpse of what thousands of Americans must have gone through on the morning of September 11. "But during my visit I also experienced an undeniable feeling of restoration and renewal. Restoration and renewal borne from the great spirit of America. A spirit which looks always to the future and with the knowledge that the nation and communities that were devastated a year ago will rise again and be ever stronger. "The bond between Scotland and the United States is a special one. A bond built from our shared history and traditions and one made stronger by the links in business, culture and education which we have today. "That shared past and our shared commitment to building a better future means that today Scotland remembers those who suffered a year ago, whose suffering I am sure continues now. Our thoughts are with you, and our hopes are with you too." |
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The First
Minister and other Scottish Ministers are attending a special service at
St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh today to mark the first anniversary of the
terror attacks on America on September 11 last year.