Burning the Past: Former Flight Attendant Finds Healing at Zozobra
Gino worked for United Airlines for 25 years and lost 14 friends on Sept. 11, 2001.
SANTA FE, N.M. —
A former United Airlines flight attendant who lost 14 friends on September 11, 2001, found a way to release years of pain by burning his uniform during the 102nd Burning of Zozobra in Santa Fe.
“I lost it. Yeah. It’s the final step in that release,” Gino said.
Gino, who worked as a flight attendant for 25 years, was in the air when the United States was attacked on 9/11.
“I lost 14 friends on September 11th. Also, United lost two crews, full crews, American Airlines lost two full crews. And we lost a lot of people,” he said.
After leaving the airline industry two and a half years ago, Gino struggled with the memories tied to his old uniform, which served as a constant reminder of the tragedy.
“Maybe I can cut it up into small pieces, but it would mean a lot to me to send it up into the heavens and release it,” Gino said.
A friend told him about Zozobra, a New Mexico tradition, which symbolizes letting go of hardships and glooms. Gino decided to bring his uniform to Santa Fe for the 102nd burning.
“They said, bring the whole uniform, let’s do this,” he said.
Reflecting on his decision, Gino shared a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. And I felt like, shame on me if I don’t share a story, if I’m invited to, that could help one human being get on with their life.”
Just minutes before the burning, Gino placed his uniform inside Old Man Gloom and shared the emotional moment live.
“It’s time to fly, thanks Zozobra, and thank you all from New Mexico. It is time to fly,” he said.
As the flames consumed his uniform, Gino symbolically let go of the pain and memories he had carried for years.
While he will always remember the people he lost, Gino said he can now honor their memory without letting the pain define his future.
