2004 Speeches
Ambassador Lavin's Embassy Remarks for 9/11 Moment of Silence
September 10, 2004
Dear colleagues,
I ask that you stop what you are doing right now, and join me in an embassy-wide moment of silence to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaida attacks. This is the fourth time that our embassy has joined together to honor the 9/11 victims, and to pray for the families and friends they left behind.
Let us also reflect on the other victims of terror, whether yesterday’s attack in Jakarta or last week’s in Russia, and think of embassy family members around the world who have lost their lives, be they Americans or Foreign Service Nationals. We can be grateful that the plot to bomb this embassy was foiled, although the danger remains.
Moments like this are as much for the living as they are for the fallen. I hope we here can find some comfort in reflecting on the lives of the men and women not unlike ourselves who were Al-Qaida victims in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. three years ago. Colleagues and friends, please join me in a moment of silence in their honor.