9/11: Lest We Forget

Sao Paulo | September 9, 2011

Marine Guards lowered the flag to half staff

Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, Chargé D’Affaires Todd Chapman laid a wreath

As the clouds parted on Friday morning, ten years after the September 11 attacks, members of the U.S. Consulate and American community in Sao Paulo joined together in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people who died that day.  Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, Chargé D’Affaires Todd Chapman, and Acting Consul General William Popp watched solemnly as the Marine Guards lowered the flag to half staff and then laid a wreath to honor those lost as well as those who carry their memories forward.  A moment of silence was observed by everyone in the Consulate, including more than 2,000 visa applicants. 

In his remarks to the  150 American and Brazilian Consulate staff, members of the American Society and students from local American schools, Chargé Chapman noted that on September 11^th, 2001, we learned that we were not alone, as offers of support and solidarity poured in from around in the world including from Brazil.   While we can never forget the tragedy of the attacks, he said, we must also remember and honor those who “rose to help the wounded and grieving in their time of need.”  

The world, as the Consulate, stopped for a day to remember and reflect but most of all to celebrate the spirit of resilience that has helped individuals and nations to overcome the challenges – global and personal – we face every day.  It is this spirit that makes us stronger, more unified and offers hope for a better tomorrow.