TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 3:30 P.M. -- Souls on board.

That’s airline lingo for the number of passengers and crew on any given flight. Not people. Not bodies.

Souls.

How many of them were lost today? The ones ripped from the air, forced into violent collision with the earth. The ones in the buildings, who unknowingly stood in the path of hate on wings. The ones on the ground, who tried to flee as metal, glass, life, and death came raining down.

But in the midst of the chaos, the absolute terror, the indescribable pain, were glimmers of humanity. Hundreds lined up outside hospitals to donate blood to the injured. Homes were opened to strangers, telephones offered to the anonymous, kind words shared between unknowns. Hands held out, hearts held together — all in hope of a better tomorrow.

How many souls were lost today?

How many were found?

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Issue Date: September 11, 2001