\Today marks the seventh anniversary of one of the most tragic days in world history; today marks the day where I lost my childhood friend, David Charlebois.\ \nDavid was First Officer on American Airlines Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon on this day. I met him when I was in 8th grade and had kept contact with him long after high school had ended. He was one of those friends whom you have in life where you don\'t see them all that often, but when you do connect, the familiarity and genuine regard make it possible to pass through months and years to suddenly become all caught up again. \ \nWhat was disturbing about David\'s death is that I had literally seen him a week before 9-11. We met for lunch and caught up on each other\'s lives. After I learned that he died on Flight 77, I realized that there was a sense of finality about the conversation I held with David, which still haunts me to this day. \ \nWe were both approaching 40 at the time of his death and we talked about our youth and how we both were doing what we loved to do as adults. I never knew David was gay until I met him in my mid 20\'s at a local DC bar. David was openly gay and was a pioneer for gay people at American Airlines, having done a lot to change the airline\'s corporate culture to one of inclusion and respect. He also was highly active in his church and had a very loving relationship with his partner Tom for fourteen years. \ \nDuring our final conversation, we spoke about the fact that he\'d never really come out to his parents even though everyone else in his life was aware of his sexuality. It was a decision David was fine with and said that at that point in his life, there was hardly a chance that his family would love him any differently and why rock the boat since Tom was always with David at family gatherings and holidays; the unspoken acceptance was all David ever needed. I remember the last thing David said to me before we parted was \"You know, I\'m proud of us both--we turned out okay!\"\ \nAnd then he was gone. \ \nSo today, I remember my friend David. I remember the fallen who were taken from us so abruptly seven years ago. And in these moments of loss, what strikes me is how all of these people got up that morning simply living their lives. The fact that so many of them were going about their daily routine is what makes this loss so extraordinary. All of these people were heroes in that they were truly, fully alive when this tragedy happened; it just took their ending for us to realize it. \ \nMy hope is that as time moves forward, we learn to move beyond this darkness with a sense of hope. All of us can choose to live in a world that respects everyone else for their uniqueness and honors and cherishes every living soul in all its humanity. And hopefully we can get there without a day like 9-11 ever again. The lives we lost on this day were more than lesson enough. \ \n\<\/p\>
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Posted by: Jim Jenkins | September 11, 2008 8:18 AM
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POST A TRIBUTE
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\Today marks the seventh anniversary of one of the most tragic days in world history; today marks the day where I lost my childhood friend, David Charlebois.\
\nDavid was First Officer on American Airlines Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon on this day. I met him when I was in 8th grade and had kept contact with him long after high school had ended. He was one of those friends whom you have in life where you don\'t see them all that often, but when you do connect, the familiarity and genuine regard make it possible to pass through months and years to suddenly become all caught up again. \
\nWhat was disturbing about David\'s death is that I had literally seen him a week before 9-11. We met for lunch and caught up on each other\'s lives. After I learned that he died on Flight 77, I realized that there was a sense of finality about the conversation I held with David, which still haunts me to this day. \
\nWe were both approaching 40 at the time of his death and we talked about our youth and how we both were doing what we loved to do as adults. I never knew David was gay until I met him in my mid 20\'s at a local DC bar. David was openly gay and was a pioneer for gay people at American Airlines, having done a lot to change the airline\'s corporate culture to one of inclusion and respect. He also was highly active in his church and had a very loving relationship with his partner Tom for fourteen years. \
\nDuring our final conversation, we spoke about the fact that he\'d never really come out to his parents even though everyone else in his life was aware of his sexuality. It was a decision David was fine with and said that at that point in his life, there was hardly a chance that his family would love him any differently and why rock the boat since Tom was always with David at family gatherings and holidays; the unspoken acceptance was all David ever needed. I remember the last thing David said to me before we parted was \"You know, I\'m proud of us both--we turned out okay!\"\
\nAnd then he was gone. \
\nSo today, I remember my friend David. I remember the fallen who were taken from us so abruptly seven years ago. And in these moments of loss, what strikes me is how all of these people got up that morning simply living their lives. The fact that so many of them were going about their daily routine is what makes this loss so extraordinary. All of these people were heroes in that they were truly, fully alive when this tragedy happened; it just took their ending for us to realize it. \
\nMy hope is that as time moves forward, we learn to move beyond this darkness with a sense of hope. All of us can choose to live in a world that respects everyone else for their uniqueness and honors and cherishes every living soul in all its humanity. And hopefully we can get there without a day like 9-11 ever again. The lives we lost on this day were more than lesson enough. \
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